Experimental Design Considerations for Limiting Psychological Distress
When designing new tools to tackle problems posed by harmful content, networked harassment, or faulty algorithms on social media, researchers may find themselves in a difficult position. Designing effective tools requires us to engage with social media users who have experienced these harms. Although this kind of research can reduce harm in the long run, research participants may be re-traumatized through their participation in such studies.
My colleagues and I recently wrestled with this very dilemma. After reviewing a range of resources on this topic, I decided to share what I’ve learned. Below I offer some suggestions to other researchers for minimizing psychological harm to research participants.
Enable participants to skip any topics they choose.
Researchers should take care to prevent participants from feeling coerced to discuss upsetting topics. Lewis & Graham suggest the following language for interviewers: “If there’s something you don’t want to say, please feel free to say you’d rather not answer that question or you feel you’ve said enough.”
Related Reading
- Hirsch. (2020). Practicing without a license: Design research as psychotherapy.
- Lewis & Graham. (2007). Research participants’ views on ethics in social research: Issues for research ethics committees.
- Wong. (2021). Guidelines to Incorporate Trauma-Informed Care Strategies in Qualitative Research.
Refer participants to external resources for support.
If the researchers anticipate that participation in a study could evoke negative emotions, they may consider distributing information to participants about available support resources. For example, if study participants are university students, the researchers can provide information about counseling and psychological services on campus.
Related Reading
- Day. (2018). On trauma and safety: Toward trauma-informed research methods.
- Reeves. (2015). A synthesis of the literature on trauma-informed care.
- Webster, Lewis, & Brown. (2014). Ethical considerations in qualitative research. In Ritchie, Lewis, Nicholls, & Ormston, (Eds.), Qualitative research practice: A guide for social science students and researchers (Kindle Edition).
Partner with mental health practitioners.
For particularly sensitive topics, researchers should consider partnering with mental health experts and practitioners to minimize harm to participants. These partners may be involved in various stages of the research from experimental design to data collection. For example, a psychiatrist could help to develop an appropriate interview protocol.
Related Reading
- Chen, McDonald, Zou, Tseng, Roundy, Tamersoy, Schaub, Ristenpart & Dell. (2022). Trauma-Informed Computing: Towards Safer Technology Experiences for All.
- Hirsch. (2020). Practicing without a license: Design research as psychotherapy.
- Reeves. (2015). A synthesis of the literature on trauma-informed care.
Offer to involve participants in the research project.
Participants may be interested in deepening their involvement in the research by joining the team as co-researchers or by keeping in touch with the researchers to learn about the research findings. Chen et al. explain that involving interested participants as research collaborators can be a way of “ensuring that trauma survivors are actively involved in decisions regarding their care and support.”
Related Reading
- Chen, McDonald, Zou, Tseng, Roundy, Tamersoy, Schaub, Ristenpart & Dell. (2022). Trauma-Informed Computing: Towards Safer Technology Experiences for All.
- Frauenberger, Rauhala, & Fitzpatrick. (2017). In-action ethics.
- Wong. (2021). Guidelines to Incorporate Trauma-Informed Care Strategies in Qualitative Research.
