Understanding couple communication in reproductive health by using a Visually Assisted Interview Guide (VAIG)

Abstract

Learning the process of couple communication, in terms of place, time, duration, content, style, form and barriers, is crucial before developing strategies to improve communication among rural couples in India. Considering the sensitivity of the subject, cultural setting, family dynamics and difficulties in reaching couples, visuals accompanied by an interview guide prove effective. The current article explains the construction and validation of a Visually Assisted Interview Guide (VAIG). The rural context limits the choice of visual forms and thus hand-drawn pictures depicting day-to-day life scenarios were used in the tool. The tool construction was primarily based on adding value to the interview guide and offering ease/comfort to the respondents and researchers when dealing with personal information. Results show that hand-drawn pictures help respondents to replace their own self-conscious identity with that of the illustrated individuals, enabling them to give realistic, impersonal responses to sensitive issues. A VAIG is therefore useful in understanding the process of how couples in rural settings communicate over reproductive health issues.