New research study
New research study on the lived experience of parents and young people who have had glue ear from a young age
My name is Carmel Capewell and I'm working towards a PhD at the University of Northampton. My Director of Studies is Professor Richard Rose in the Centre of Education and Research.
About 80% of all children will have at least one episode of Glue Ear. It is the most common reason for parents taking children under 7 years to the doctor. In most children the condition clears up by itself within months, for others it can continue for much longer. The medical profession describe it as a temporary condition. It has peaks in occurrence at the ages of 2 years and 5 years, either when children go to day care or school. It is tends to be worse from October-March. There is often temporary deafness associated with the condition.
Research suggests that most parents are concerned about the effect of the condition on language development, future school performance and behaviour.
This research is aimed at understanding what it is like to be or have a child with the condition and how those people feel glue ear affects their day-to-day life.
The aim is to find out what people think about this condition, with participants being seen as the experts in their condition.
There are two aspects to the project:
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Parents of children with glue ear who would want to join a support group to share their experiences, requirements and advice living in Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, Leicestershire and South Oxfordshire. Involvement would be for parents of children of any age who have had a diagnosis of glue ear either recently or some time ago. The material developed would be used to inform other parents, teachers and medical professionals of the experiences, needs and strategies used for dealing with glue ear. How the information is shared would be up to the group. The length of time that people participate in the group would be up to individuals. It would allow people to meet informally.
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Young people with ongoing glue ear from an early age, and at least one parent, to become involved in using photos and images which describe how glue ear affects their day-to-day life. They would describe the pictures in writing or by voice recording. It is likely that involvement in the project would last over a 4-6 week period, with participants spending part of the time recording and developing visual images and explanations about How they feel the condition impacts them. What is included is up to participants. They would spend some time discussing their descriptions with the participant.
I am looking to recruit at least one parent, and young people aged 10-16 years who have:
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had glue ear before the age of five years
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had at least one set of grommets or tubes
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glue ear episodes now
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speak fluent English
Individual information would be kept anonymous and confidential.
This project has been approved by The University of Northampton's Research Ethics Committee.
For further details about the project and if you and your child are interested, in either part, please contact Carmel Capewell carmel.capewell@northampton.ac.uk Telephone: 07756 231264