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Sexual Assault Victims Participating in Research: Causing Harm When Trying to Help?
Louise Hjort Nielsen1, Maj Hansen1, Ask Elklit1
1Department of Psychology, ThRIVE & National Center for Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, DK- 5230 Odense M, Denmark.
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
|June 4, 2016
Summary
Participating in scientific research is often perceived positively by sexual assault survivors, causing minimal distress. Many survivors reported beneficial outcomes from their involvement in these studies.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Medical Ethics
Background:
- Ethical considerations arise when recruiting vulnerable populations, such as sexual assault victims, for research due to potential distress.
- Previous research has not fully explored the lived experiences and perceptions of sexual assault survivors participating in scientific studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the perceived psychological and physiological distress experienced by sexual assault survivors participating in scientific research.
- To explore potential beneficial outcomes for sexual assault survivors who participate in research studies.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews were conducted with 51 survivors of sexual assault who had participated in scientific research.
- Data analysis focused on participants' experiences of distress and perceived benefits.
Main Results:
- The majority of sexual assault survivors viewed their research participation positively.
- Most participants reported minimal short-term or long-term psychological or physiological distress.
- Over half of the survivors indicated experiencing some benefits from their involvement in research.
Conclusions:
- Research participation can be a positive experience for sexual assault survivors, contrary to ethical concerns about distress.
- Findings suggest that involving sexual assault survivors in research is feasible and can yield benefits, warranting further investigation.
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