Letter to Prospective Participants

Hello,

My name is Ingrid Norrmann-Vigil, and I’m a Ph.D. student in the Department of Applied Linguistics at UCLA. I’m currently studying narratives of trauma, medical communication, and how men whose partner/spouse have experienced a pregnancy loss recall the experience and their interactions with medical personnel.  The idea for this study started from my own experience; I miscarried on September 2011 and again on May 2012. After noticing the lack of emotional support not only from medical personnel, but also from some people close to me, I started researching on the subject.  I’m currently enrolling men for my research study. To be eligible for this study, he must:

Be 18 years of age or older

Have a partner who has experienced at least one pregnancy loss

Be willing to be audio and video recorded during the interview

If you would like to participate, you’ll be asked to complete a brief demographic questionnaire  and I’ll interview you for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. During the interview, I’ll ask you questions regarding the loss, your partner’s experience, how you recall the interaction with medical personnel, and also how you coped with it. The meeting will take place at a mutually agreed upon time and place. The interview will be digitally audio and video recorded to accurately reflect on what is discussed; the recordings will only be reviewed by members of the research team who will transcribe and analyze them. The materials will then be destroyed unless you authorize otherwise in a written consent form you’ll be given prior to the interview.

I’m aware this is not an easy topic to talk about. You may feel uncomfortable answering some of the questions, but you do not have to answer any questions you don’t wish to. Although you probably won’t benefit directly from participating in this study, I hope the findings will benefit couples who in the future go through this unfortunate experience.

Thank you so much for your time and for considering my request!

My best,

Ingrid Norrmann-Vigil

inorrmann@ucla.edu

http://inorrmann.bol.ucla.edu