The Harvard Sociological strategy for qualitative interviews (n.d.) provides some guidance on designing interview guides. It suggests to first consider broad topic areas related to the research question and then to narrow the questions down, it also advises not to be afraid of asking embarrassing questions as this is how you will obtain the information desired. Following this, I created the interview guide by considering broad topics that seemed relevant to FGC and identified from the literature review including; marriage, birth, periods, sexual intercourse, psychological impact and, relationships. With these broader topics in mind, I went back to my research aims and questions and fundamental theoretical principles and designed over 40 questions (appendix Three). The interview guide was checked by my supervisors and refined and then looked at by a community gatekeeper to ensure they were sensitive and appropriate. this guide was then used in the interviews.
5.5.1 Interview Process
All participants were given a choice in how they wanted to be interviewed and where, interviews were conducted face-to-face (n-22), on the phone (n-6) or by Skype (n-2). One woman was interviewed in her home, two women in a library, six women and two men were interviewed at the organisation they were recruited from, nine were interviewed at a university, one at a school and one at a health centre.
On average the interviews lasted 50 minutes, with exception of six with the translator which lasted around 15 minutes due to time restrictions of the organisation. The interviews with the Kurdish men lasted on average around 25 minutes. The majority of the interviews were one-to-one, with exception to the two Kurdish women who wanted
to be interviewed together, and the six Somali women who wanted to be interviewed with another woman in the room as well as the translator. I initially thought this would be problematic, before each interview I asked the women if they wanted to be alone and they all said no, they did not give the same answers as each other and sometimes they would even highlight if they had a more difficult time with it compared to the other woman in the room, this suggests that them being together did not have a significant influence on each other's answers.
Once an interviewee had agreed to take part in the research, I would send them via email the information sheet and consent form if organised online, if organised in person I would give them a printed version. No interviews were organised on the spot and usually booked around five days after the initial conversation and information given to allow enough time to consider taking part and the emotional impact it may have. At the beginning of the interview I would ask for oral consent (see below) to take part and for me to use their data and record it on the Dictaphone. I would then confirm they understood and were happy with everything on the information sheet and consent form. It was important at this juncture to again reassure them of the anonymity and confidentiality of the study and remind them that they could stop at any point and did not have to answer any questions they felt uncomfortable with.
Unlike most studies that would use a form to collect demographical information, I did this orally at the beginning as a way to build rapport and help them relax. I would ask them if they were married or had children, when they moved to the UK and how they found living here, and some other general questions as seen in the interview guide. Taking influence from a storytelling and oral history approach, and in-keeping with
phenomenological methods which suggest that interviews can be fluid, starting with the participant describing their experience (Giorgi, 1975 cited in Flood (2010). I would then invite them to discuss what they knew about FGC as a practice and share their personal story/experiences about FGC if they wished. I would use the answers to these opening questions as a point of reference if the interview got emotionally heavy or the participant seemed like they needed a break, for example asking them about their job or children.
Due to the sensitive nature of this topic, at the end of the interviews, I would use a grounding technique. Tull (2018) describes this as “a particular type of coping strategy
that is designed to “ground” you in, or immediately connect you with, the present moment. Grounding is often used as a way of coping with flashbacks or dissociation”.
This adjustment to my interviews was ethically and personally important to decrease the likelihood of causing any emotional trauma such as triggering flash backs. The grounding techniques often concerned the five senses and may have been a subtle statement about the temperature of the room, smells in the air, the texture of an item of clothing, something that was visible in the room or questions about their job and what they had planned for the rest of the week. I felt this was a very important way to finish the interview and visibly relaxed the participants after sharing such intimate and personal details.
After the interview, I sent participants a list of useful contacts, services and web links as means of signposting and support if they felt it necessary. This also helped to avoid taking on a counselling role in which I am not adequately trained or qualified for, and to avoid crossing the boundaries of friendship which has been considered in research methodology by many authors particularly with sensitive research. For example, Oakley (2015) discusses her research with women and transitions of ‘friendship’ based on the shared
experiences of gender subordination, she discusses how she aimed to reduce the exploitative nature of this by answering questions from the women. She further quotes Glesne (1989), who claims that the lines between friendship and rapport in research are blurred.
I emailed participants 48 hours after the interview to check on their wellbeing and to ensure they had received the support package and to see if they had any questions or concerns about the interview. Despite the woman having my contact details and knowing they could withdraw at any time, I wanted to create an open dialogue and clear line of communication so that they did not feel it was a hassle if they did get in contact.
After the interviews if I felt it was necessary or if they were particularly emotionally heavy, I would create voice memos on my phone as a way to debrief and an easy way to reflect later on. I also followed the protocol of letting my supervisors know once I had finished and sometimes phoned after to debrief.