Emotional risks to respondents in survey research

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Survey Methodology

Background:

• Survey research on distressing topics may cause distress in vulnerable individuals.
• Previous research suggests potential harm from discussing sensitive subjects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the psychological impact of interviews on distressing topics in nonvulnerable survey respondents.
• To determine if discussing distressing events causes lasting harm or temporary mood changes.

Main Methods:

• Respondents were interviewed about a distressing event and their mood, stress, and emotional reactions were assessed.
• Two days later, participants underwent interventions designed to enhance or alleviate interview effects.
• Moods were reassessed after the interventions.

Main Results:

• Distressing interviews temporarily increased stress and negative mood.
• Moods returned to baseline levels between the initial interview and the intervention.
• Discussing distressing events again led to more negative moods compared to neutral or positive topics.

Conclusions:

• Interviews on distressing topics can induce temporary negative moods and stress in nonvulnerable participants.
• Despite short-term effects, such interviews do not appear to cause harm to respondents.
• Interventions may help mitigate or enhance the emotional impact of survey participation.