Phase 3. The group became fully engaged in the research process. Everyone
became very comfortable with the experience of interviewing.We fell into a pattern
of conducting two interviews at each meeting, each about half an hour long. We
became much more comfortable following lines of questioning, rather than sticking
to the list, and those of us who were listening to the interview felt free to jump into
the interview if we heard something we wanted to follow up on.We conducted the
final interviews as group interviews: One person agreed to be interviewed, but no
566 QUALITATIVE HEALTH RESEARCH / April 2004
one was designated as the interviewer, and anyone who wanted to ask questions
did so.
As the interviews progressed, we realized that we had created a place in which
members could talk freely about aspects of their lives that they normally have
no opportunity to talk about. The Unsung Heroes support group provides a supportive
environment for talking about current problems in coping but not for sharing
past life experience. Hearing details of the life experiences of group members
was often an emotional experience, both for thosewhowere describing their experiences
and for those who were listening. The structure of the interview process
allowed even people who rarely speak at Unsung Heroes meetings to tell their
stories. Through the interviewing, we became a caring and supportive community
of friends.