Online Research with Informal Caregivers: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

In this article we discuss the opportunities and challenges of using the Internet as part of an emergent methodology in qualitative research. Utilising a deliberative process of democratic enquiry, an online forum was used to identify important capabilities for the health of informal caregivers for older people in New Zealand. Recognising the difficulties associated with recruiting and interviewing informal caregivers, the study was advertised and conducted via the Internet. Over four months, 60 informal caregivers, from varied backgrounds, contributed to an online forum created specifically for the research. The asynchronous, anonymous format facilitated participants’ personal accounts of caregiving, which highlighted the tensions and complexity of caregivers’ lives. This resulted in a key finding that emotions, particularly attachment, play a significant role in the day-to-day experience of informal eldercare provision. Overall, we found that Internet-mediated research offers an innovative option for qualitative data collection, which has potential for including hard-to-reach populations and enabling insightful, contextual data collection.

Keywords:

• deliberative research
• e-participation
• asynchronous online forum
• informal eldercare
• capability approach

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the New Zealand Foundation for Research Science and Technology now Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment.

Notes on contributors

Barbara Horrell

Barbara Horrell is a PhD student at Massey University. Her areas of interest include informal caregiving, ageing and health, and social justice.

Christine Stephens

Christine Stephens is Professor of Social Science Research in the School of Psychology, Massey University, New Zealand. She teaches health promotion and research methods. She is part of the Health and Ageing Research Team and conducts research with older people.

Mary Breheny

Dr Mary Breheny is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Health & Social Services at Massey University. Dr Breheny’s research focuses on understanding how social and economic issues influence health and wellbeing across the life course. In particular, she is interested in the ways that inequalities throughout the lifespan accumulate in later life and constrain older people from ageing well.