TY - JOUR
T1 - Sensitive, challenging, and difficult topics
T2 - Experiences and practical considerations for qualitative researchers
AU - Silverio, Sergio A.
AU - Sheen, Kayleigh S.
AU - Bramante, Alessandra
AU - Knighting, Katherine
AU - Koops, Thula U.
AU - Montgomery, Elsa
AU - November, Lucy
AU - Soulsby, Laura K.
AU - Stevenson, Jasmin H.
AU - Watkins, Megan C.
AU - Easter, Abigail
AU - Sandall, Jane
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported in part by a research grant awarded to SAS & JS by The Lily Mae Foundation [Grant Number: LM21]. SAS, AE, & JS (King’s College London) are currently supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration South London [NIHR ARC South London] at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. SAS is also in receipt of a personal Doctoral Fellowship awarded by the NIHR ARC South London Capacity Building Theme; and JS is also an NIHR Senior Investigator. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported in part by a research grant awarded to SAS & JS by The Lily Mae Foundation [Grant Number: LM21]. SAS, AE, & JS (King’s College London) are currently supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration South London [NIHR ARC South London] at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. SAS is also in receipt of a personal Doctoral Fellowship awarded by the NIHR ARC South London Capacity Building Theme; and JS is also an NIHR Senior Investigator. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.
PY - 2022/9/8
Y1 - 2022/9/8
N2 - Qualitative researchers often engage in work addressing challenging, difficult, or sensitive topics and are consequently exposed to the participants’ narratives which may be emotionally charged, distressing, or compromising. These narratives occasionally rest heavy on a researcher’s conscience or may linger in the mind. Much literature has assessed how best to keep participants safe, but less attention has been given to how we keep researchers safe. We therefore document the following: (1) Our experiences of the issues presented by undertaking qualitative research involving challenging, difficult, or sensitive topics; and (2) Practical principles devised to overcome these issues, ensuring safety and wellbeing amongst researchers engaging in these types of qualitative research. We provide guidance for qualitative researchers of all levels of experience and expertise on how best to protect and support themselves, their colleagues, and other collaborating research staff, when undertaking qualitative research which might otherwise feel uncomfortable or overwhelming to tackle.
AB - Qualitative researchers often engage in work addressing challenging, difficult, or sensitive topics and are consequently exposed to the participants’ narratives which may be emotionally charged, distressing, or compromising. These narratives occasionally rest heavy on a researcher’s conscience or may linger in the mind. Much literature has assessed how best to keep participants safe, but less attention has been given to how we keep researchers safe. We therefore document the following: (1) Our experiences of the issues presented by undertaking qualitative research involving challenging, difficult, or sensitive topics; and (2) Practical principles devised to overcome these issues, ensuring safety and wellbeing amongst researchers engaging in these types of qualitative research. We provide guidance for qualitative researchers of all levels of experience and expertise on how best to protect and support themselves, their colleagues, and other collaborating research staff, when undertaking qualitative research which might otherwise feel uncomfortable or overwhelming to tackle.
KW - Qualitative Research
KW - Interviews
KW - Focus Groups
KW - Sensitive Information
KW - Supervision
KW - Researcher Burn-out
KW - Research Fatigue
KW - Secondary Trauma
KW - Traumatic Stress
KW - Qualitative Praxis
KW - Qualitative Methods
KW - Researcher Safety and Wellbeing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85138703704&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/16094069221124739
DO - 10.1177/16094069221124739
M3 - Article
SN - 1609-4069
VL - 21
SP - 1
EP - 16
JO - International Journal of Qualitative Methods
JF - International Journal of Qualitative Methods
ER -