Applying an Analytical Process to Longitudinal Narrative Interviews With Couples Living and Dying With Lewy Body Dementia

Abstract

Narrative research methods invite people to share their experiences via storytelling. There is increasing interest as to how qualitative narrative inquiry can provide greater understanding into the lived experience around health and illness, particularly within the field of dementia. Narrative research is concerned with how humans make sense of and engage with the changes and disruptions of everyday life. However, narrative research is an emerging and evolving field with no single clearly defined approach to data analysis. In this article, we provide a methodological exemplar by applying Murray’s four levels of narrative analysis to longitudinal narrative interviews completed with couples living with Lewy body dementia. We describe how to analyse connections between the four levels and how to articulate this across different interview time points. This analysis process contributes to methodological knowledge by providing a strategy to connect the personal, interpersonal, positional and societal levels of analysis. The time taken for in-depth analysis of a co-created, dyadic longitudinal narrative approach requires careful consideration, but ultimately, it can provide a richer understanding of the lived experience, allowing for deeper social, clinical and academic insight.