Browsing by Person "Greggans, Alison"

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"Cool friends": an evaluation of a community befriending programme for young people with cystic fibrosis
(2010) MacDonald, Kath; Greggans, Alison
Aim.: To evaluate the impact of a community youth befriending programme on a group of young people with chronic illness and their carers. Background.: Befriending is said to be highly valued by those who are befriended, improving self-esteem and offering opportunities for increasing skills and social activities. Design.: A qualitative longitudinal pilot study of young people with cystic fibrosis, their carers, their befrienders and other personnel, closely involved with the families. Methods.: Seventeen participants were interviewed over one-year to explore their experiences of befriending. Ten of these were either befriendees (aged 8-18 years) or their parents. Half of these families were interviewed twice; once at the beginning of the befriending relationship and another at one year later. Seven other personnel, closely involved with the young people, were interviewed; two play therapists and two education liaison personnel. A focus group was also held with three befrienders. This range of data sought to reveal a wide perspective on the impact of befriending. Results.: Befriending was seen as a good thing by all parties involved. It offered a distraction from illness, respite for carers and helped young people to raise issues of personal importance. Befriending was challenging for the befrienders given the diagnosis of this group of befriendees. Negative experiences could result if pairs are poorly matched or if befrienders are not committed to the process. Exit strategies were not addressed. Conclusion.: Sustainable befriending relationships are dependent on commitment from both parties and transparency about the expected practices and processes from the beginning to the end of the relationship. Relevance to practice.: The evidence that is available in support of befriending is mixed. To date this is the first study in relation to people with cystic fibrosis and will add to the body of knowledge of befriending in young people with a life-threatening chronic illness. 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Dealing with chaos and complexity: the reality of interviewing children and families in their own homes
(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2008) MacDonald, Kath; Greggans, Alison
Aims. The aim of this paper is to share our experiences of dealing with chaos and complexity in interview situations in the home with children and young people. We highlight dilemmas relevant to dealing with multiple interruptions, building a rapport, consent and confidentiality. Furthermore, we discuss issues regarding the locus of power and control and offer some solutions based on our experiences. Background. Creating a safe environment is essential for qualitative research. Participants are more likely to open up and communicate if they feel safe, comfortable and relaxed. We conclude that interviewing parents and their children with cystic fibrosis in their own homes, is chaotic and appears to threaten the rigour of data collection processes. Limited attention or print space is paid to this issue, with published articles frequently sanitising the messiness of real world qualitative research. Design. Position paper. Methods. In this position paper, we use two case studies to illustrate ethical and pragmatic challenges of interviewing out in the field. These case studies, typical of families we encountered, help emphasise the concerns we had in balancing researcher-participant rapport with the quality of the research process. Conclusions. Dealing with perceived chaos is hard in reality, but capturing it is part of the complexity of qualitative enquiry. The context is interdependent with children's perceived reality, because they communicate with others through their environment. Relevance to practice. This paper gives researchers an insight into the tensions of operating out in the field and helps raise the importance of the environmental 'chaos' in revealing significant issues relevant to peoples daily lives. Knowing that unexpected chaos is part and parcel of qualitative research, will equip researchers with skills fundamental for balancing the well being of all those involved with the quality of the research process.