DEVELOPMENTAL CRISIS IN EARLY ADULTHOOD: A ...

Dear all,
I am currently in the 1 st /2 nd /3 rd year of doing a PhD at Birkbeck College,
University of London. My PhD is investigating experiences of crisis
between the ages 25 to 40, and I am currently looking to interview
participants. Have you experienced a crisis in your life between those
ages that you would be willing to talk about? If so, then I would be very
interested to interview you.
If you are happy to participate, or know someone who you think would, then
please reply to the below email address and I will send you further
information. Interviews can be done here at Birkbeck or in a location of
your choice. It takes just 45 minutes. I give you £10 for your trouble,
as a small token of thanks. I can guarantee total confidentiality - all
names are changed.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Olly Robinson
o.robinson@psychology.bbk.ac.uk
Thirdly, advertisements were also posted in Central London in certain nonuniversity
locations. This brought in two participants in Study 1 (Frances, Neil).
Individuals replied to a dedicated and anonymous email account. The advertisement
was worded:
HAVE YOU HAD A CRISIS IN YOUR LIFE BETWEEN 25 and 40? We always hear about
the “midlife crisis” that happens around the age of 40, but have you a crisis in your life either
in your late twenties or thirties? Would you be willing to share your experience in a short
interview, and so contribute to a university study? The study is confidential and ethically
approved, and by participating you would be contributing to a greater understanding of how
people cope with crisis.
If you are interested in helping, please email: crisis_study@hotmail.co.uk
Fourthly, recruitment by referral was used via friends and acquaintances,
which led to the sourcing of individuals known by them but not known by me. Six
individuals in Study 1 were found in this way (Mary, Leon, Rachel, Guy, Ben, Vern),
one of whom became the case study participant for Study 2 (Guy). The numbers
gained from these four recruitment sources are summarised in Table VI.
Table VI. Recruitment Sources across all 3 Studies
Recruitment Source Study 1 Study 2 Study 3 Total
Email circulars within Birkbeck 3 5 8
“Participant panel” 5 1 6
Non-university advertising 2 2
Referral from non-university source 6 1* 6
22
* Participant in Study 2 was also in Study 1
66