Methods for interviewing the elderly: a test of dyadic interviews vs. in-depth individual interviews

Format Type

Plenary

Format Type

Paper

Start Date

12-1-2021 2:30 PM

End Date

12-1-2021 2:50 PM

Abstract

Methods for interviewing the elderly:

a test of dyadic interviews vs. in-depth individual interviews

In the present paper, we compare in-depth individual and dyadic interviewing as a method of collecting data in a study exploring the home-living elderly's perception of food and a healthy diet. The study sample consisted of 6 participants for the in-depth individual interviews and 8 dyads for the dyadic interviews. The dyads were composed of pairs who share a preexisting relationship and strangers.

We will also discuss the role of participants' selection and pairing composition in dyadic interviewing, as well as how this facilitates interactions between the participants. Our results indicate that the main differences between in-depth individual and dyadic interviews are on the breadth of responses and types of information disclosed. We found that several types of personal and sensitive information were more likely disclosed during an in-depth individual interview, however, broader themes were covered in the dyadic context but not in the individual setting.

While the dyad composition, homogenous (both male and female) and heterogeneous pairs work efficiently, both can be associated with disadvantages that hinder the elicitation. It is however indicated that females might succeed in either pairing style for this particular context. Furthermore, the pair with a pre-existing relationship is a more controllable and deliberate approach to pairing, however, the dyadic interview resulting from the stranger pairs contributes to valuable insight.

Our findings can be useful for researchers to make a more informed choice when choosing the qualitative data collection methods, particularly when interviewing the elderly.

Keywords

in-depth individual, dyadic, interviews, qualitative methods, elderly, comparison, elicitation, food, healthy diet

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Jan 12th, 2:30 PM Jan 12th, 2:50 PM

Methods for interviewing the elderly: a test of dyadic interviews vs. in-depth individual interviews

Methods for interviewing the elderly:

a test of dyadic interviews vs. in-depth individual interviews

In the present paper, we compare in-depth individual and dyadic interviewing as a method of collecting data in a study exploring the home-living elderly's perception of food and a healthy diet. The study sample consisted of 6 participants for the in-depth individual interviews and 8 dyads for the dyadic interviews. The dyads were composed of pairs who share a preexisting relationship and strangers.

We will also discuss the role of participants' selection and pairing composition in dyadic interviewing, as well as how this facilitates interactions between the participants. Our results indicate that the main differences between in-depth individual and dyadic interviews are on the breadth of responses and types of information disclosed. We found that several types of personal and sensitive information were more likely disclosed during an in-depth individual interview, however, broader themes were covered in the dyadic context but not in the individual setting.

While the dyad composition, homogenous (both male and female) and heterogeneous pairs work efficiently, both can be associated with disadvantages that hinder the elicitation. It is however indicated that females might succeed in either pairing style for this particular context. Furthermore, the pair with a pre-existing relationship is a more controllable and deliberate approach to pairing, however, the dyadic interview resulting from the stranger pairs contributes to valuable insight.

Our findings can be useful for researchers to make a more informed choice when choosing the qualitative data collection methods, particularly when interviewing the elderly.