Life history is a qualitative research method used to tell the story of an individual through the eyes of a researcher, who frames the story within the context of the culture in which the person lived. In this book, experienced scholars in qualitative life history research discuss the theoretical rationale for using this design, describe its components, and delineate a practical plan to conduct studies, including a focus on appropriate methods, ethical considerations, and potential pitfalls.

Table of Contents

• About the Author
• Contributors
• Foreword - Kathleen R. Martin, PhD
• Series Foreword
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Overview of Life History - Mary de Chesnay
• 2 State of Art in Nursing Research Using Life History - Mary de Chesnay
• 3 Collecting Life Histories - Mary de Chesnay and Murray J. Fisher
• 4 Embracing the Ugly Child Within: Life History of an Incest Survivor - Leslie West-Sands
• 5 Whistleblowing as Self-Reported Disclosure by Incest Survivors - Edwina Skiba-King
• 6 The Stories of Us: Using Life Histories to Inform Practice - Adelita Cantu
• 7 Theorized Life Histories: Masculinity and Male Suicide - Jo River and Murray J. Fisher
• 8 Using Life History to Explore the Experience of Women Living With a Rare Chronic Illness: Lymphangioleiomyomatosis - Denise Haylen and Murray J. Fisher
• 9 Introduction to Life Histories as Doctoral Class Assignment - Mary de Chesnay
• 10 Losing a Child to Brainstem Tumor: Life History of Nora - Brenda Brown
• 11 Successfully Overcoming Breast Cancer: Nicole's Story - Katrina Embrey
• 12 Overcoming Substance Abuse: Life History of Alexa - Nancy Capponi
• Appendix A List of Journals That Publish Qualitative Research - Mary de Chesnay
• Appendix B Essential Elements for a Qualitative Proposal - Tommie Nelms
• Appendix C Writing Qualitative Research Proposals - Joan L. Bottorff
• Appendix D Outline for a Research Proposal - Mary de Chesnay