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Events
Navigating sensitive, emotionally heightened, challenging qualitative research
- Venue: BCB Seminar Room, NU
- Start: Fri, 03 Feb 2023 10:00:00 GMT
- End: Fri, 03 Feb 2023 13:00:00 GMT
Navigating sensitive, emotionally heightened, and challenging qualitative research: Acknowledging complex encounters and discussing practical solutions - Event Summary
In February 2023 the QualSIG held its first official event, Navigating sensitive, emotionally heightened, and challenging qualitative research: Acknowledging complex encounters and discussing practical solutions.
Dr Saimir Luli, the IMA lead for special interest groups, opened the event, providing an overview of the Innovation, Methodology and Application (IMA) theme. It is a diverse, cross-faculty theme that aims to bring colleagues with linked interests and expertise together to enhance teamwork and collaboration. Special interest groups, including the QualSIG, play a key role in achieving this aim.
Dr Siân Russell, QualSIG co-lead, then provided an overview of the QualSIG. The QualSIG’s aims are in keeping with the IMA theme:
- to offer students and academic researchers with an interest in qualitative research a supportive and positive environment to learn and collaborate
- to promote the considerable qualitative expertise we have here at Newcastle University through events, training, engagement, and dissemination
Anyone interested in being more involved with the work of the QualSIG should speak with a committee member or send an email to QualSIG@newcastle.ac.uk
Plenary: Ethical challenges and moral dilemmas in qualitative research: Normalising walking the tightropes, navigating the mazes, and negotiating the stalemate
Sergio A. Silverio, a Research Fellow in Social Science of Women’s Health at the School of Life Course & Population Sciences, King’s College London gave the plenary talk setting the scene for the morning. Sergio provided an overview of his background, sense of self as a qualitative researcher, and key influences on his work before providing a brief history of qualitative research and the challenges it has and continues to face in terms of its perceived credibility and value in certain section of academic research.
Key works from Sergio’s publication record, experiences with research participants, and challenging encounters with ethics committees were all used to contextualise and discuss some key moral and ethical issues qualitative researcher can face. This included anonymity, representation of participants and ethics committees positioning all pregnant women as vulnerable and highlighted the problems created by assessing qualitative research ethics in the same manner that committees assess physically invasive research, such as clinical trials. Sergio summarised some of the ways in which qualitative research can be sensitive and emotionally challenging, offering some potential solutions: buddying, reflexive diaries, debriefing sessions, and formal psychological support.
"Snap shot" presentations on first hand experiences of sensetive and/or challlenging qualitative research
Following the plenary, four members of the QualSIG gave short presentations highlighting the diverse ways that qualitative research can be, or become, sensitive and emotionally challenging, and the impact this could have on them professionally and personally.
Unexpected emotional encounters during data collection – Dr Steph Scott
Steph spoke of the lingering sense of guilt she felt while attending a birthday party with her young son after spending the morning in a prison visitation session for children and families.
Practitioner vs Researcher experiences of sensitive and emotional encounters – Julie Guest
Julie spoke about the challenge of wearing different professional hats; one the hat of a Stem Cell Transplant Nurse Practitioner, the other a PhD student engaging in qualitative research with paediatric cancer patients and their families.
Negotiating sensitive topics when engaging with public contributors – PPI: is it always sensitive? – Dr Jo Lally
While patient and public involvement (PPI) and qualitative research are distinct, they hold similarities in their potential for encounters involve sensitive subject matter or for discussions to become emotionally challenging. Jo gave some insightful examples of when this has occurred PPI sessions and how practice has been amended to better protect participants and researchers.
The impact of being offended or emotionally ‘triggered’ in the process of conducting qualitative research – Dr Siân Russell
Sometimes research participants can be challenging, rude or offensive and sometimes the topics we research can feel too close to home. Having systems of support in place can be vital to process and survive negative encounters. Siân gave examples of times where she has experienced participants expressing homophobic and racist views, and casual remarks about coerced sex. She also discussed experiences of being on the receiving end of misogynistic abuse and how being exposed to women’s narratives of intimate partner violence and coercive control forced her to reflect on her own home life.
Supporting Sensitive and Emotionally Demanding Research: Development of a Framework to Inform Future Guidelines and Activities for the Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University - Dr Kat Jackson
Kat presented findings from a small research project that aimed to explore issues that are significant for staff in Newcastle University’s Faculty of Medical Sciences, (FMS) who self-identify as working in the context of sensitive and emotionally demanding research. The study was funded by the Newcastle University Research Fund, undertaken between April and July 2023. Dr Steph Scott, Professor Amy O’Donnell and Mrs Kay Howes were also involved in this research. Kat presented a sub-set of findings based on the experiences of researchers involved in qualitative research who take part in two focus groups.
Group discussions followed this presentation, aiming to highlight what kind of support the QualSIG could offer qualitative researchers.
