It's Not Much of a Life

A life history approach enables study of how risk or health protection is shaped by critical transitions and turning points in a life trajectory and in the context of social environment and time. We employed visual and narrative life history methods with people who inject drugs to explore how hepatitis C protection was enabled and maintained over the life course. We overview our methodological approach, with a focus on the ethics in practice of using life history timelines and life-grids with 37 participants. The life-grid evoked mixed emotions for participants: pleasure in receiving a personalized visual history and pain elicited by its contents. A minority managed this pain with additional heroin use. The methodological benefits of using life history methods and visual aids have been extensively reported. Crucial to consider are the ethical implications of this process, particularly for people who lack socially ascribed markers of a "successful life

Everyday life · Focus group · Harm · Harm reduction · Narrative · Pleasure · Political science · Psychotherapist · Public health · Qualitative research · Social science · Sociology · Timeline · HIV, Drug Use, Sexual Risk · Medicine · Nursing · Participatory Visual Research Methods · Psychology · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Social Psychology

• Retrospective Assessment of Human–Chemical Interactions in Health-Disparity Populations

  Open Access•Mike Anastario, Olivia Ceavers et al.•International Journal of…•2022

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• Climate Autobiography Timeline

  Open Access•Olivia Vilá, Joel Finnis et al.•Weather, Climate, and Society•2022

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• Timelines, convoy circles, and ecomaps

  Open Access•Prince Chiagozie Ekoh, K C Sitter•Qualitative Social Work•2024

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• When words fail us

  Open Access•Renate Kahlke, Lauren A Maggio et al.•Medical Education•2025

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• Relational stigma as a social determinant of health

  Open Access•Michelle Addison, Monique Lhussier et al.•SSM - Qualitative Research in…•2023

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• Avoidance strategies

  Open Access•Lynne McMordie•Housing Studies•2021

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• Evaluating Complex Health Interventions With Randomized Controlled Trials

  Open Access•Jenevieve Mannell, Katy Davis•Qualitative Health Research•2019

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• Complex decision-making of people's use of opioid agonist therapy during pregnancy

  Open Access•Ruth A Schmidt, Amaya Perez-Brumer et al.•Social Science & Medicine•2025

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• Exploring pathways into and out of amphetamine type stimulant use at critical turning points

  Open Access•Michelle Addison, Eileen Kaner et al.•Health Sociology Review•2021

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• Using Visual Timelines in Telephone Interviews

  Open Access•Bethan Pell, Denitza Williams et al.•International Journal of…•2020

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• Documents of Life 2

  Ken Plummer, Kenneth Plummer•Documents of Life 2•2001

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• The Life Course Perspective on Drug Use

  Open Access•Yih-Ing Hser, Douglas Longshore et al.•Evaluation Review•2007

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• A 33-Year Follow-up of Narcotics Addicts

  Yih-Ing Hser, Valerie Hoffman et al.•Archives of General Psychiatry•2001

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• "Hell, I'm An Addict, But I Ain't No Junkie"

  M Boeri, Miriam Williams Boeri•Human Organization•2004

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• Reliability of heroin users’ reports of drug use behaviour using a 24 month timeline follow-back technique to assess the impact of the australian heroin shortage

  Carolyn A Day, Linette Collins et al.•Addiction Research & Theory•2004

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• Positive deviance control-case life history

  Open Access•R Friedman, Pedro Mateu-Gelabert et al.•BMC Public Health•2008

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• A Guide to Field Notes for Qualitative Research

  Open Access•Julia C Phillippi, Julia Phillippi et al.•Qualitative Health Research•2018

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• Methadone diversion as a protective strategy

  Open Access•Magdalena Harris, Tammy Rhodes•International Journal of Drug…•2013

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• Strategies to avoid opiate withdrawal

  Open Access•Pedro Mateu-Gelabert, Pedro Mateu‐gelabert et al.•International Journal of Drug…•2010

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• What if you live on top of a bakery and you like cakes?’—Drug use and harm trajectories before, during and after the emergence of Silk Road

  Open Access•Monica J Barratt, Simon Lenton et al.•International Journal of Drug…•2016

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• Does the Life History Calendar Method Facilitate the Recall of Intimate Partner Violence? Comparison of Two Methods of Data Collection

  Mieko Yoshihama, B Gillespie et al.•Social Work Research•2005

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• Pathways From Heroin Addiction

  Roger A Roffman, Patrick Biernacki•Contemporary Sociology A Journal…•1988

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• The Life History Calendar

  Deborah Freedman, Arland Thornton et al.•Sociological Methodology•1988

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• Addicts Who Survived

  H Wayne Morgan, David T Courtwright et al.•The Journal of Southern History•1990

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• Taking Care of Business—The Heroin User's Life on the Street

  Edward Preble, Edward Alexander Preble et al.•International Journal of the…•1969

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• Ethics in Action

  Open Access•Janice M Morse•Qualitative Health Research•2007

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• A Life History Approach to Understanding Youth Time Preference

  Open Access•Deborah E Schechter, Cyrilla M Francis•Human Nature•2010

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• Ethics, "Vulnerability," and Feminist Participatory Action Research With a Disability Community

  Open Access•Diana L Gustafson, Fern Brunger•Qualitative Health Research•2014

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• Staying Safe From Hepatitis C

  Open Access•Magdalena Harris, Carla Treloar et al.•Qualitative Health Research•2012

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• Three in the Room

  Open Access•Magdalena Harris•Qualitative Health Research•2015

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• Reflections on Using Biographical Approaches in End-of-Life Care

  Open Access•Olav Lindqvist, Guinever Threlkeld et al.•Qualitative Health Research•2015

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• Ethical Components of Researcher-Researched Relationships in Qualitative Interviewing

  Open Access•Jeanette Hewitt•Qualitative Health Research•2007

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• Adapting Life History Calendars for Qualitative Research on Welfare Transitions

  Open Access•D A Harris, Domenico “mimmo” Parisi et al.•CAM•2007

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• Young people, biographical narratives and the life grid

  Open Access•Sarah Wilson, Sarah Cunningham-Burley et al.•Qualitative Research•2007

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• Unexpected Stories

  Open Access•Lisa J Cary•Qualitative Inquiry•1999

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• Ethics, Reflexivity, and "Ethically Important Moments" in Research

  Open Access•Marilys Guillemin, Lynn Gillam•Qualitative Inquiry•2004

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• The Biographical Illusion

  Open Access•Margaretha Järvinen•Qualitative Inquiry•2000

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