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Staying Safe: Strategies for Qualitative Child Abuse Researchers

NCJ Number
229857
Journal
Child Abuse Review Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: January - February 2010 Pages: 56-69
Author(s)
Jan Coles; Neerosh Mudaly
Date Published
January 2010
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the results of a literature review on interview-based and child abuse research and presents strategies and recommendations to minimize child abuse researcher trauma.
Abstract
Undertaking interview-based research with victim/survivors of child abuse can be difficult 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 identified and related to child abuse research using researcher reflections 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 minimize child abuse researcher trauma. References (Published Abstract)