Table 1 Phenomenographic data analysis according to Sjöström and Dahlgren [25], as used in the present study

1. Familiarisation

The 14 interviews, totalling 196 pages (A4), were read several times to become familiar with the data and to obtain a sense of the whole.

2. Compilation

The narratives from all respondents about professional support were gathered into statements; any significant statements that corresponded to the aim of the study were identified.

3. Condensation

Different statements were condensed in order to obtain a representative description of the partners’ perceptions.

4. Grouping

Statements that were similar to one another were grouped together. In total, 21 perceptions were found that were distinct from one another.

5. Comparison

Comparisons were made between the groups to find similarities and differences in their perceptions; in this way, distinct borders were found between groups.

6. Naming

Perceptions and the descriptive categories that emerged were discussed and named to highlight their essentials using a suitable level of abstraction.

7. Contrastive comparison

The descriptive categories that emerged were compared in terms of similarities and differences. Four descriptive categories and nine perceptions were found in the end, as shown in Fig. 1. The logical relationships between categories formed a hierarchical arrangement that was then presented as an ‘outcome space’.