Disguising the Familiar
Considering Internal Confidentiality in Individual Interviews With Partners and Families
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12927185 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Susie Bower-Brown (0000-0003-1496-8023, St Thomas' Hospital, corresponding author), Clare Stovell (0000-0002-2462-5553, St Thomas' Hospital) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-17 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Family Theory & Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1756-2570 • E-ISSN: 1756-2589 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jftr.70047 |
| OpenAlex | W7138897320 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
This article draws attention to the ethical and methodological complexities of internal confidentiality in family research and provides field‐specific recommendations. Conducting individual (rather than joint) interviews with partners or multiple members of the same family is common but poses significant challenges around internal confidentiality, defined as participants' ability to recognize each other in research reports. Family research's focus on close relationships, diverse family forms, and children heightens the risks and consequences of breaching internal confidentiality, yet explicit consideration of this issue is lacking in the methodological and family literatures. Drawing on firsthand experience with two research projects, this article outlines the challenges of preserving internal confidentiality, the benefits of individual interviews, and key recommendations. We recommend that researchers develop flexible strategies for addressing internal confidentiality, and our guidelines offer practical solutions, from research design to data reporting. By addressing the complexities of internal confidentiality, we aim to prevent harm to participants and enhance the integrity of family studies
Confidentiality · Ethical issues · Focus group · Harm · Qualitative research · Data Analysis and Archiving · Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics
The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods
"Without Taking Away Her Leave"
Conducting a Multi Family Member Interview Study
Naming Research Participants in Qualitative Language Learning Research
“Stuck in the Middle with You”
Doing Interviews
Safeguarding subjects
Conducting qualitative interviews with children – methodological and ethical challenges
It’s All Public Anyway’
Interviewers as Intruders? Ethical Explorations of Joint Family Interviews
Qualitative Approaches to Dyadic Data Analyses in Family Communication Research
Interviewing with Children in their Homes
Exploring ‘Quality’
Work-family decision-making processes at the transition to parenthood
Sometimes they just want to cry for their mum’
Beyond anonymity
Family Relationships and Well-Being
Internal Confidentiality
How Not to Let Secrets Out When Conducting Qualitative Research With Dyads
Protecting Respondent Confidentiality in Qualitative Research
Storytelling With Networks
Ethical Issues when Using Digital Platforms to Perform Interviews in Qualitative Health Research
Reflections on Joint and Individual Interviews With Couples
Drawing as a Facilitating Approach When Conducting Research Among Children
Finding the Hidden Participant
Anonymising interview data
Am I rambling?' on the advantages of interviewing couples together
Home truths
Using the telephone for narrative interviewing
Ethics, Reflexivity, and "Ethically Important Moments" in Research
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |