“The Existential Crunch that is Middle Age”

Exploring the experiential impact of life course events on the psychosocial wellbeing of women at midlife in the UK

Jacqui Merchant, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy

Jacqui Merchant

Jacqui is a senior lecturer in Social Policy in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Sunderland. Jacqui has worked at the university for over 25 years, broadly in the area of the sociology of health and illness. Jacqui is currently working on her PhD which focuses on wellbeing for women in mid life. Jacqui’s profile is available here. Jacqui is being supervised in her doctoral work by Dr. Matt Durey (Director of Studies) and Dr. Sarah Lonbay (co-supervisor).

Jacqui has received ethical approval for her research and is currently recruiting participants for the project. If you are interested in taking part, please read the following information and respond directly to Jacqui: jacqui.merchant@sunderland.ac.uk. If you would like to be sent a copy of this information, please also contact Jacqui who will be happy to provide this.

Participant Information Sheet

Study title

“The existential crunch that is middle age”: Exploring the experiential impact of lifecourse events on the psychosocial wellbeing of women at midlife in the UK.

What is the purpose of the study?

This research is interested in women’s experiences of midlife.

There is little literature, beyond menopausal research, which looks at the experience of midlife in the current social context. It is this lack of literature that this study wishes to address by exploring the life stories of midlife women and how they understand and navigate this time in their lives.

Who can take part in the study?

Any woman between the ages of 50-60 who lives within the North East region of the UK. I am looking to interview between 12 and 20 women in total.

Do I have to take part? 

Participation is entirely voluntary. If you change your mind about taking part in the study, you can withdraw at any point during the session without giving a reason and without penalty.  

What will happen to me if I take part? 

You will be contacted by the researcher who is doing this study for her PhD at the University of Sunderland. She will give you some further information regarding the process of the study, what is involved in the research and assure you of confidentiality and anonymity. She will then arrange a time and place to meet with you for interview. As part of the process of the research it is likely that the researcher will want to make at least one follow up meeting with you to explore in more depth some of the issues raised during the initial interview.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part? 

Any disadvantages or risks may involve remembering or reliving in your mind any events which have taken place which might be upsetting to you. Similarly, talking about how you feel at this stage in your life has the potential to uncover feelings which may be distressing. The researcher will have number of helpful and supportive organisations for you to contact in case this happens.

What are the possible benefits of taking part? 

 It is rare that we are given the opportunity to talk to an impartial person about our lives. It can be enjoyable therefore and even therapeutic (although the researcher must confirm at the outset that she is not a trained counsellor or psychological therapist). Any information given or disclosed will be totally anonymised and participants will be assured of confidentiality.

What if something goes wrong? 

If you change your mind about participation, please contact me by email to cancel your participation. If you feel unhappy about the conduct of the study, please contact me immediately or the Chairperson of the University of Sunderland Research Ethics Group, whose contact details are given below.

Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential? 

Absolutely. The researcher hopes to record your interview (although if it is preferred for this not to happen, then notes will be taken instead). The recording and/or notes will only be heard/seen by the researcher herself who will give you a pseudonym (or fake name) when writing up your interview. At no point will you be identifiable beyond the interview itself by anyone except yourself and the researcher.

What will happen to the results of the research study? 

 If suitable, the results may also be presented at academic conferences and/or written up for publication in peer reviewed academic journals, newspaper articles or books.  It is hoped that the research will provide a deeper understanding of the experience of midlife will be gained for women going forwards.

Who is organising and funding the research?

 The University of Sunderland as part of a PhD studentship.

Who has reviewed the study? 

 The University of Sunderland Research Ethics Group has reviewed and approved the study. 

Contacts for further information

Useful organisations which could be contacted should interviewees need to do so