Reactions to Participating in Trauma and Addiction Research Among Women in a Sober Living Home: A Brief Report

The purpose of this study was to examine reactions to participating in trauma and addiction research among women in a sober living home. Participants were 59 women who completed a comprehensive survey battery while living in the sober living home. The survey assessed women's victimization and addiction history along with current psychological and behavioral health symptoms and resilience characteristics. At the end of the survey, women were asked about their reactions to participating in the survey. Results suggested that whereas 40.7% (n = 24) of women reported being upset immediately after completing the survey, 96.6% (n = 56) of women reported that they personally benefited from being in the research study. Women who reported being upset, compared with those who were not upset, had higher levels of depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and housing and financial instability and lower levels of empowerment, posttraumatic growth, and sense of purpose. We also asked women to tell us, in their own words, their reasons for being upset (e.g., questions about victimization experiences, loss of children), as well as their reasons for benefiting (e.g., catharsis/venting, learning something new about oneself, the chance to meet the researcher who had nice qualities). In general, the research was well tolerated by most of the participants, and almost all women, including those who were initially upset, reported personal benefits. These data shed light on the factors associated with positive and negative emotional reactions to research participation, which could be important information to include in consent forms in future research with this population.