Emotions and Reflexivity in Health & Social Care Field Research

This book is about emotions and reflexivity when doing field research in health and social care settings. Health and social care students often undertake field research in their own area of practice using observation and interviews. All contributing authors have a dual identity as researchers and health or social care professionals. Their chapters draw on research carried out in a number of fields including HIV related infertility and adoption, primary care in Africa, cancer and palliative care, infertility and excluded young people to explore issues relevant to emotions and reflexivity from the perspective of the researcher and research participants. 
The book was born of the two editors, who are experienced research supervisors, observing that many PhD students struggle to manage the emotions elicited in the field when researching. They identify three main causes - health and social care deals with painful topics; observation and interviews bring student into contact with powerful feelings which need processing; there is very little advice and discussion of how a PhD student manages emotions in the field and students therefore frequently struggle on their own. 
This insightful volume will be of great interest to scholars and students in all areas of academic study, but particularly to those who chose to study health and social care whether they are professionals or not.

Helen Allan is Professor in Nursing at the Centre for Critical Research in Nursing & Midwifery, Middlesex University, London, UK. She was awarded her PhD in 2000 from the Royal College of Nursing Institute/University of Manchester and has supervised PhD and clinical doctorates since 2002.
Anne Arber is Senior Lecturer in Cancer and Palliative Care, School of Health Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, UK. She was awarded her PhD in 2004 from Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. She conducts research in cancer and palliative care and has supervised PhD and clinical doctorate students since 2004.

This book is about emotions and reflexivity when doing field research in health and social care settings. Health and social care students often undertake field research in their own area of practice using observation and interviews. Chapters draw on research carried out in a number of fields including HIV related infertility and adoption, primary care in Africa, cancer and palliative care, infertility and excluded young people to explore issues relevant to emotions and reflexivity from the perspective of the researcher and research participants. All contributing authors have a dual identity as researchers and health or social care professionals. The book was born of the two editors, who are experienced research supervisors, observing that many PhD students struggle to manage the emotions elicited in the field when researching. They identify three main causes - health and social care deals with painful topics; observation and interviews bring student into contact with powerful feelings which need processing; there is very little advice and discussion of how a PhD student manages emotions in the field and students therefore frequently struggle on their own. This insightful volume will be of great interest to scholars and students in all areas of academic study, but particularly to those who chose to study health and social care whether they are professionals or not.

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