Researching Distressing Topics

Abstract

Qualitative researchers who explore sensitive topics may expose themselves to emotional distress. Consequently, researchers are often faced with the challenge of maintaining emotional equilibrium during the research process. However, discussion on the management of difficult emotions has occupied a peripheral place within accounts of research practice. With rare exceptions, the focus of published accounts is concentrated on the analysis of the emotional phenomena that emerge during the collection of primary research data. Hence, there is a comparative absence of a dialogue around the emotional dimensions of working with secondary data sources. This article highlights some of the complex ways in which emotions enter the research process during secondary analysis, and the ways in which we engaged with and managed emotional states such as anger, sadness, and horror. The concepts of emotional labor and emotional reflexivity are used to consider the ways in which we "worked with" and "worked on" emotion. In doing so, we draw on our collective experiences of working on two collaborative projects with ChildLine Scotland in which a secondary analysis was conducted on children's narratives of distress, worry, abuse, and neglect.

Researcher Self-Care in Emotionally Demanding Research: A Proposed Conceptual Framework

“…Emotionally demanding research spans academic disciplines, including, but not limited to, counseling psychology (Murphy, 2017), sociology (Fincham, Scourfield, & Langer, 2008), social work (Camacho, 2016), nursing (Kavanaugh & Campbell, 2014; Wilkes, Cummings, & Haigh, 2015), public health (Dickson-Swift et al, 2007), organizational sciences (Fahie, 2014; Mazzetti, 2013), and human geography (Eriksen, 2017). It also spans a wide variety of research areas, participants, and contexts, including, but not limited to, disabilities (LaDonna & Ravenek, 2014), workplace bullying (Fahie, 2014), HIV/AIDS (Johnson & Clarke, 2003), chronic illness (Owton & Allen-Collinson, 2014), terminal illness (Burles, 2017; Fitzpatrick & Olson, 2015), death and dying (Kavanaugh & Campbell, 2014), intimate partner violence (Kumar & Casey, 2017), sexual abuse (Herrmann, 2017), suicide (Fincham et al, 2008), child abuse (Jackson, Backett-Milburn, & Newall, 2013; McGourty et al, 2010), and animal abuse (Devitt, Kelly, Blake, Hanlon, & More, 2016). Notably, while there may be a few articles on emotionally demanding research within each discipline or area of study, it appears that no one field is the front-runner for studying this phenomenon in depth, and many of the articles have been presented as a research note or reflection on the experience of qualitative research.…”

“…Little attention has been given to preparing doctoral students (Johnson, 2009; McGourty et al, 2010) and novice researchers engaged in emotionally demanding research (Lee-Treweek & Linkogle, 2000). Different stages in the research process or the area of the study itself can be overwhelming for the novice researcher, such as a study on childhood sexual abuse (Jackson et al, 2013; McGourty et al, 2010), a study of disaster survivors (Eriksen, 2017), or learning of a participant death after the study (Burles, 2017). Listening to participants’ painful narratives (Eriksen, 2017; Johnson, 2009), transcribing hours of interview data (Kiyimba & O’Reilly, 2015; Wilkes et al, 2015), coding (Woodby et al, 2011), or data analysis (Jackson et al, 2013; Sherry, 2013) can all be emotionally demanding.…”

“…Different stages in the research process or the area of the study itself can be overwhelming for the novice researcher, such as a study on childhood sexual abuse (Jackson et al, 2013; McGourty et al, 2010), a study of disaster survivors (Eriksen, 2017), or learning of a participant death after the study (Burles, 2017). Listening to participants’ painful narratives (Eriksen, 2017; Johnson, 2009), transcribing hours of interview data (Kiyimba & O’Reilly, 2015; Wilkes et al, 2015), coding (Woodby et al, 2011), or data analysis (Jackson et al, 2013; Sherry, 2013) can all be emotionally demanding. Often researchers feel exhausted by sharing an emotional experience with participants (Hubbard et al, 2001) or feel guilty as they assume responsibility for their participants (Dickson-Swift et al, 2007; Owton & Allen-Collinson, 2014).…”

“…McGarrol (2017) described herself as a wounded researcher, writing about her experience of emotional toll during fieldwork with participants who had recently suffered a heart attack; the interview process left her with an “emotional hangover” (p. 5) characterized by psychological disquiet and uneasiness. Researchers described experiencing anger, sadness, and horror and having to engage in significant emotional labor (Jackson et al, 2013) with feelings of overwhelming helplessness and hopelessness (McGourty et al, 2010) while studying child abuse.…”

The Impact of Sensitive Research on the Researcher: Preparedness and Positionality

“…Within qualitative research, it is important to acknowledge that researcher "subjectivity and positionality" can influence the interaction with research participants, and the emotional experience of the researcher and the interpretive lens they use (Alvesson & Skö ldberg, 2000;Dean, 2017). For example, some researchers in the field of child abuse experience challenging auditory and visual sensations while listening to the children's accounts (Jackson, Backett-Milburn, & Newall, 2013). Some HEIs offer researchers involved in sensitive topic research opportunities for therapeutic support (Corden, Sainsbury, Sloper, & Ward, 2005), and there is recognition that the process of transcribing disturbing or sensitive data may require specific support due to the risk of secondary distress (Kiyimba & O'Reilly, 2016).…”