Staying safe: strategies for qualitative child abuse researchers

Abstract

Undertaking interview-based research with victim/survivors of child abuse can be diffi cult and challenging for researchers. Much has been written about the impact of research on participants, but researcher effects are less explored. This paper reviews the literature on sensitive interview-based research and child abuse research. The theoretical underpinnings of researcher trauma are outlined and challenges identifi ed and related to child abuse research using researcher refl ections from the authors' interview-based research with children who have been abused and young mothers who were sexually abused in childhood. Strategies and recommendations are developed to minimise child abuse researcher trauma.

Feeling ‘like a minority . . . a pathology’: interpreting race from research with African and Caribbean women on violence and abuse

“…Would I have felt so drawn in had my racialised embodiment been South Asian or White English? Regardless of ethnicity, the qualitative and feminist research methods would require emotional closeness to women's narratives (Coles and Mudaly, 2010). However, I concluded then more racial/ethnic differentiation between myself and the participants (see Egharevba, 2001) might have enabled me more analytic and emotional distance as a temporary, albeit naive strategy to manage my feelings through stages of the analysis.…”

Undertaking ethical qualitative research in public health: are current ethical processes sufficient?

“…25 Experienced researchers have described the emotional work involved in conducting qualitative research 31,32 and the potential for secondary trauma and burnout. 15 Researchers may experience distress in relation to managing the many ethical responsibilities that the research process may present. For example, researchers may experience the emotional and ethical challenge of responding appropriately to participant distress, particularly if they possess the clinical skills to act in this situation, and balancing this with respect for the participant's decision to proceed with the research interview (thus adhering to the research protocol).…”

“…20 However, this may cause significant moral uncertainty for the researcher and distress about how to proceed. The lack of consideration for the emotional safety of researchers in ethics review processes has been acknowledged previously by qualitative researchers, 15 yet these complexities of qualitative health research remain unrecognised in research guidelines and ethics application review processes.…”

“…In particular, this has been noted by researchers engaged in community based participatory research [12][13][14] and research with vulnerable populations. 13,15 Moreover, with emerging qualitative methodologies such as 'autoethnography' , both experienced and novice qualitative health researchers face new ethical issues. 16 The following discussion outlines in more detail the ethical issues and concerns particular to qualitative health research.…”

Researching childhood harm: methodological issues

“…org.uk/staying_safe.htm), and Bloor et al (2007) usefully discuss a number of issues that can threaten the safety of qualitative investigators, including strategies to keep physically and emotionally safe. Coles and Mudaly (2009) draw attention to the fact that in contrast to issues relating to researchers' physical safety which are often addressed through research ethics procedures, there is a dearth of material around the emotional safety of researchers. Whilst it is impossible to prepare for every potential hazard, it is important to consider ways to minimise risks and reduce emotional distress when planning a research study (Appleton, 2008).…”