Research-Induced Distress Among Qualitative Researchers Who Engage in Research on Child Maltreatment: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Risk and Resilience

We aimed to review and synthesize the literature on risk and resilience factors for research-induced distress (RID) among qualitative child abuse researchers, with the review guided by the Lippencott-Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for qualitative reviews. We searched Scopus, PsychINFO, MEDLINE, and ProQuest, with two researchers independently reviewing title/abstracts and full-text articles for inclusion, and with additional articles found using citation searches of identified articles and through a perusal of articles in key child abuse and qualitative research journals. We synthesized 30 unique studies, with this synthesis revealing that risk and salutary factors for RID outcomes emanate from all levels of the research ecology and, consequently, that optimal strategies for the primary and secondary prevention of RID could profitably adopt a multi-systemic perspective. Findings from this review provide child abuse researchers and members of academia with a detailed and systematic overview of potential threats and salutary influences for RID that could be used to (1) inform the development of comprehensive pre-research (and ongoing) training programmes for researchers, and (2) guide the development of secondary prevention programmes designed to mitigate RID outcomes. With respect to future research, this review suggests that the focus of research could usefully be extended in order to: (1) provide a more comprehensive perspective on the experiences of researchers living in low- to middle-income countries, and (2) ensure children’s rights to be heard, and to participate in research on matters that affect them, are more comprehensively addressed.