Answers to unasked questions: Writing in the margins

Those who wrote unsolicited comments perceived their economic resources as less adequate, were experiencing greater family and social demands related to their illness, and were more likely to live in a nonmetropolitan county than other respondents.

Abstract

This qualitative study is a secondary analysis of comments spontaneously provided by participants in a quantitative survey. Narrative comments were written by 25% (n = 205) of the adults with multiple sclerosis who responded to the survey. Forms of unsolicited written comments included responses to questions written in the margins of the questionnaires and narratives on blank booklet pages. The purpose of this study was to apprehend what participants were telling us, particularly in the responses that they had written in the margins. Qualitative methods were used to identify and explore major categories in the participants' comments. Those who wrote unsolicited comments perceived their economic resources as less adequate, were experiencing greater family and social demands related to their illness, and were more likely to live in a nonmetropolitan county than other respondents. Secondary analysis of this rich qualitative data enhances the depth of our understanding of the person's experience with chronic illness.