Evaluating internet interviews with gay men.

In this article we describe the use of the Internet to conduct online synchronous interviews on gay men's experiences of Internet sex-seeking and barebacking, using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). We then present the results of a separate IPA of the issues we encountered during the research. The analysis is focused around four superordinate themes: positive experience, technological issues, boundaries, and requests/expectations. We argue that online qualitative research is valuable in its own right, and that the advantages considerably outweigh the difficulties. This is particularly true in accessing individuals who might not participate in other types of research settings to discuss experiences that would otherwise be too difficult to talk about. Several issues that are problematic in more conventional research still apply, albeit in a different guise, but these must be situated in the context of who or what is being researched, and why, and can be largely overcome with more creative methodologies and considered preparation.

Alexithymia and sense of coherence in patients with total spinal cord transection.

OBJECTIVE: The study investigated the possibility that total spinal cord transection leading to tetraplegia would affect the ability to experience and identify emotions. It also examined whether the dispositional orientation of "sense of coherence" contributed to self-rated quality of life after spinal cord transection. METHODS: Twenty patients with total spinal cord transection at the level of the sixth cervical vertebrae and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects completed measures of alexithymia, sense of coherence, and quality of life. RESULTS: There were no differences between the two groups on alexithymia scores. However, spinal injury patients reported significantly decreased quality of life relative to matched healthy control subjects. A strong sense of coherence was associated with better self-reported quality of life. This relationship remained after controlling for current affective status. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that 1) loss of afferent feedback to the brain via the spinal cord does not have a significant effect on alexithymia scores, particularly factor 1 (difficulty in identifying feelings), and 2) sense of coherence may be an important factor in determining psychological adjustment after serious injury.