IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socres/v2y1997i2p38-48.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Use of Diaries in Sociological Research on Health Experience

Author

Listed:
  • H. Elliott

Abstract

Diaries have been relatively neglected as a sociological research method. This paper highlights the value of diary research, drawing on the literature on auto/biographies and health service research as well as a qualitative study of need and demand for primary health care, which used diaries and linked in-depth interviews. In particular, data from the study are used to illustrate the role of the ‘diary-interview’ method in offering a means to ‘observe’ behaviour which is inaccessible to participant observation. Five key advantages of the diary-interview are discussed, namely the potential of the ‘diary-interview’ method to accommodate different response modes; the extent to which the method captured diarists’ own priorities; the importance of the research process in illuminating the contexts within which helpseeking took place; the role of diaries as both a record of and reflection on the experience of illness and the value of the diary-interview method as a means of understanding what is ‘taken for granted’ in accounts of health and illness.

Suggested Citation

  • H. Elliott, 1997. "The Use of Diaries in Sociological Research on Health Experience," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 2(2), pages 38-48, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:2:y:1997:i:2:p:38-48
    DOI: 10.5153/sro.38
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.5153/sro.38
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5153/sro.38?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Thomas, Felicity, 2006. "Stigma, fatigue and social breakdown: Exploring the impacts of HIV/AIDS on patient and carer well-being in the Caprivi Region, Namibia," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 63(12), pages 3174-3187, December.
    2. Richter, Beate & Bokelmann, Wolfgang, 2017. "Explorative study about the analysis of storing, purchasing and wasting food by using household diaries," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 181-187.
    3. Brown, Christopher J. & Markusson, Nils, 2019. "The responses of older adults to smart energy monitors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 218-226.
    4. Tim Markham & Nick Couldry, 2007. "Tracking the reflexivity of the (dis)engaged citizen: some methodological reflections," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 52408, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Peter Jackson & Rossana Perez del Aguila & Ian Clarke & Alan Hallsworth & Ronan de Kervenoael & Malcolm Kirkup, 2006. "Retail Restructuring and Consumer Choice 2. Understanding Consumer Choice at the Household Level," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(1), pages 47-67, January.
    6. Helen Busby, 2000. "Writing about Health and Sickness: An Analysis of Contemporary Autobiographical Writing from the British Mass-Observation Archive," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 5(2), pages 11-22, September.
    7. Jenny Hislop & Sara Arber & Rob Meadows & Sue Venn, 2005. "Narratives of the Night: The Use of Audio Diaries in Researching Sleep," Sociological Research Online, , vol. 10(4), pages 13-25, December.
    8. Vera Amicarelli & Christian Bux, 2021. "Food waste in Italian households during the Covid-19 pandemic: a self-reporting approach," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 25-37, February.
    9. Gerry Mooney & Vikki McCall & Kirsteen Paton, 2015. "Exploring the use of large sporting events in the post-crash, post-welfare city: A ‘legacy’ of increasing insecurity?," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 30(8), pages 910-924, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socres:v:2:y:1997:i:2:p:38-48. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.