Individual Interview Guide for Women

Individual interview data collection form – page 3

Appendix H

Form Approved

OMB No.

Exp. Date

Individual Interview Guide: Interviews with Women¹

Introductions and Interview Process (10 minutes)

Interviewer: Explain the interviews as indicated below.

I want to welcome you and thank you for coming. We are studying the relationship between economic needs and risk for becoming infected with HIV and STDs. As you will see, the questions we will talk about in this interview are more personal than the focus group questions. This is why we’ve asked you for an individual interview. We have asked you to come to this interview because we are interested in learning from your ideas, opinions, and experiences. We don’t expect you to answer our questions in any particular ways. There are no right or wrong answers. You are the expert, and we will learn from you. Everything you are thinking is important to us and we value your opinions.

The discussion will take about two hours. Following the discussion, I will ask you to complete a brief questionnaire that should take about 5 minutes. After completing the discussion and the brief questionnaire, you will receive $25 for your participation.

Individual Interview Question Frames

Interviewer: The tone of the interview should be conversation and respectful of the expertise of the participant. Be prepared to explore answers to questions using prompts such as “Can you tell me more about that?” “What makes you say that?” “Can you explain that to me please?” Additionally, be prepared to explore unanticipated topics that may be raised by participant during the course of the discussion.

• Can you tell me a little bit about your life – for example, where you were born, your family, and so on? (set the tone, ice breaker)

• How about your experience working?

  • Are you working now, and if so, where?

  • What do you do?

  • What are your responsibilities?

  • Did you have any training or other preparation for this job?

  • How much do you make from this job?

  • Will you tell me about other jobs you’ve had?

• Would you describe to me the kinds of problems that you may have encountered trying to get a job?

• How about the experiences of other women that you know – do they have trouble getting or keeping jobs? [If so] Can you tell me why this is?

• Have you ever had public assistance of any type?

  • What types of assistance have you had?

  • What is the amount of support that the assistance provided to you?

• Will you tell me about the kinds and amounts of expenses that you have today, such as

  • Housing

  • Food

  • Childcare

  • Health care

  • Transportation

  • Phone, lights, etc.

  • Other?

• Now I’d like to ask you about the kinds of jobs you would like to have.

  • For example, what type of work would you like to do?

  • Why would you like to do that?

  • What is the income level that you would need from a job?

  • Do you see yourself being employed by someone or setting up your own business eventually?

  • What kind of training do you think you might need to get a good job?

• Now I’m going to ask you a few questions of a more personal nature. First, I’d like to ask you about personal sexual behavior.

  • Do you have a sex partner who helps you out from time to time financially?

  • [If so] Would you tell me about that?

  • To what extent do/did you depend on this exchange to support yourself and your family?

  • Have you ever had the experience of directly exchanging sex for drugs, money, or housing?

  • [If so] Would you tell me about that?

  • To what extent do/did you depend on this exchange to support yourself and your family?

  • Do other women that you know or know about have sex partners who help them out financially from time to time? I don’t want you to give me names, just talk in general about the need that other women may have for financial help from sex partners.

  • [If so] Would you tell me about that?

• Now I’m going to ask you a few questions about drug use.

  • If you’ve ever used drugs, will you please tell me about that?

    • For example, types of drugs?

    • How long have you used the drugs?

    • Have you ever been in treatment for drug use?

    • Would you like to have this treatment and if so, can you describe what you know about getting this type of assistance?

• Moving on to another topic, I’m going to ask you about your experiences with the legal system.

  • I’d like to ask you if you’ve even been incarcerated.

  • [If so], Would you tell me about that?

  • Do you know if you’ve had a sex partner who has been incarcerated?

• We’re coming to the end of my list of questions. The last questions we have for you are about your health.

  • Could you tell me about your current or past health problems?

  • How would you describe your current state of health?

    • For example, could you describe any health problems you have now or have had in the past that might interfere with you’re getting a job?

    • Could you tell me whether you need to see a doctor regularly and if so, why?

  • What are your other health care needs?

    • For example, could you tell me about anything that might prevent you from getting to a doctor if you need to?

    • Can you tell me about any problems you may have had getting medicines or treatment that you need?

  • Please describe for me what you know about protecting yourself from sexually transmitted diseases like HIV.

• Finally, is there anything else you’d like to tell me about any thing we’ve discussed so far?

Materials Needed:

Questionnaires Batteries

Audiotape recorders Incentives

Signed consent forms

1 Public reporting burden of this collection of information is estimated to average 2 hours per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to CDC/ATSDR Reports Clearance Officer, 1600 Clifton Road NE, MS D-74, Atlanta, GA 30333; ATTN: PRA (0920-XXXX).