Methodological issues in interviewing families in family nursing research

Aim of the study. The aim of this study is to discuss what methodological p roblems can be met in family research with one family member as an intervie wee speaking on behalf of the whole family and, vice versa, what is the mea ning of having multiple family members or the whole family unit as informan ts. Background. Family nursing research is part of multidisciplinary research w ith families. It is a basis for family nursing and contributes to research, especially from the perspective of family welfare and its promotion. Famil y nursing research generates knowledge concerning families' and family memb ers' wellbeing and experiences and expectations of nursing and health care. Methods. The examination of methodological problems while pursuing family r esearch is based on two studies conducted in Finland. Findings. Quantitative methods add to the general knowledge of families. Qu alitative methods are well suited to the study of family experiences. Famil y interviews performed for research purposes differ from interviews aiming at caring for families. They aim at obtaining knowledge of families on a ge neral level so as to improve family nursing. Family research has to be look ed at as a whole. It faces many challenges such as the definition of the fa mily, gaining access, methods of data collection and data management. Conclusions. A family is a complex system and research with families need f lexible, sensitive and practical methods. Family research should also aim a t developing new methods for data collection and analysis.