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The Use of Diaries in Sociological Research on Health Experience

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  • 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
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    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. Brown, Christopher J. & Markusson, Nils, 2019. "The responses of older adults to smart energy monitors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 218-226.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    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.
    10. Christiane Prange & Randi Lunnan & Ulrike Mayrhofer, 2024. "The Diary Method in International Management Research," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 64(4), pages 727-755, August.

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