The narrative correspondence method: what a follow-up study can tell us about the longer term effect on participants in emotionally demanding research.

The author has based this article on qualitative data gathered from the parents of young adults with cancer who, over the previous 4 years, had contributed narrative accounts to a research project on the experience of caring for a young adult son or daughter with the illness. In the follow-up study, she sought to understand the longer term effect of research participation on the parents. Results show that the parents valued their involvement, and many had found the process of writing therapeutic. Their feelings of isolation had been reduced, and overall, they believed they had benefited from contributing. However, there is also an acknowledgment of the emotional demands caused by recalling painful memories for research purposes. Participants experienced the outcomes of the research as significant and interpreted resulting publications as a lasting memorial to their son or daughter.