Benefits participants identify when they participate in research

What is it about?

Qualitative research into sensitive and emotionally laden topics can pose a number of challenges for researchers. This paper presents reflections from two social work researchers who have led multiple feminist based qualitative research studies about research participation enabling positive experiences for women who have survived domestic violence. It is argued, women can identify new insights, find alternative ways of looking at their experiences, and access opportunities to debrief in a unique way in the research interview setting that differs from counselling experiences. The authors use the metaphor of ‘opening doors’ to show how women construct their research participation experience in similar ways and how researchers can draw on social work skills to enhance positive experiences for women.

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Why is it important?

Using tenets of feminist research can help participants to realise their strengths. It is important to design research so that not only does it do no harm but it benefits participants.