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This scoping review offers insight into researcher well-being when working with sensitive and traumatic topics in a qualitative research context. The study identified existing empirical research concerning researcher well-being and mental health. The databases included SSCI, ASSIA < IBISS, Scopus, Social Policy and Practice, PsycInfo, Social Science Database/Social Science Premium Collection (Proquest), and Open Grey. An international search was conducted, with no time constraints on publication dates to gather as wide a selection as possible. 55 papers met the criteria. We found that the terminology used within the papers was not consistent which necessitated grouping the (self-) reflection/reflexive practices researchers used and categorizing them under the umbrella term SRR practices. The research questions were: 1. Which disciplines or fields are conducting SRR practices on sensitive topics? 2. What SRR practices do researchers employ in the context of sensitive research? 3. What were the self-reported outcomes from using SRR practices as a tool of researchers working on sensitive research? A key finding of the scoping review is that many researchers who work on sensitive topics feel unprepared and receive little or no training or support for SRR practices. This poses particular challenges for early career researchers. We also identified that qualitative researchers have developed a range of SRR practices to manage the emotional impact of their sensitive research work. Many authors of the scoped papers stress the importance of peer-support as well as formal and informal debriefing meetings. Another key SRR practice discussed by many researchers is reflexive journaling. Our scoping review suggests that if it is combined with other activities, self-reflexive journaling can be an excellent way to acknowledge and assess the emotional impact of sensitive research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Doctors with a history of mental health or substance use challenges face barriers accessing treatment and are difficult to recruit for research. This makes understanding their experiences challenging, yet essential. Overcoming barriers to research participation among unwell doctors is critical to advancing their overall health and wellbeing. Methods: A qualitative interview study of 21 allegedly impaired doctors in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand who were subject to regulatory processes relating to their health. Based in an interpretative phenomenological paradigm, this paper examines participants' motivations for participation in this study and their reactions to participating. It highlights wider implications for sensitive research involving doctors and marginalised groups. Results: Participants were strongly motivated to participate in our research for their own benefit (desire to be heard, catharsis, and empowerment) and to benefit others (to change the system, and to avoid other doctors experiencing what they experienced). Careful planning and communication of unique legal risks fostered a trusting researcher-participant relationship. To assist other researchers undertaking sensitive qualitative research with vulnerable participants, we describe our research protocol, challenges, and successes in detail. Conclusions: Despite ethical concerns about research risk, researchers can and should pursue qualitative research into the experiences of under-represented groups, including allegedly impaired doctors. Without involving them in research that examines issues directly impacting on them, we may be inadvertently perpetuating the barriers and stigma that also hinder them from accessing treatment and support. This also deprives us of knowledge that can be used to improve doctors' health. This paper has broader relevance for anyone doing research with doctors, people in vulnerable positions, people disempowered by institutional or social systems, people who are stigmatised or shamed, and people who have experienced trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internationally, lead agencies and consumer movements emphasise the need for high-level research participation in mental health. However, evidence suggests that people with lived experience tend to be recruited as subjects rather than as active agents in research, or are consulted in tokenistic ways. Although participatory research has the potential to rectify epistemic disparities, few studies have grappled with how to move from exclusion and tokenism to high-level research participation. This paper describes a qualitative co-evaluation of a co-produced model of research partnership, Raising the Bar, which involved deliberate establishment and facilitation of six participatory research teams, comprising 28 lived experience and 'conventional' mental health researchers. Findings indicate that the theoretical elements of the model set the bar high from the outset, supporting research teams to address inconsistencies in knowledge about participation. It also provided researchers with the competencies and resources to undertake participatory research in egalitarian team structures, and to negotiate new forms of non-traditional research outputs - thereby challenging whom research might be for and how it might be made accessible. Finally, the model shifted collective meanings about research, lending credibility to participatory practices, which came to be seen as essential for meeting the needs of affected communities. Nonetheless, systemic barriers to participatory research remain, and need to be recognised and acted upon to promote a culture that supports high-level research participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although researchers have convened focus groups to collect individuals' opinions for some time, many have transitioned data collection from in-person to online groups. Online focus groups became even more important as COVID-19-related restrictions to movement and shared spaces interrupted the ability of researchers to collect data in person. However, little is published about conducting online groups with populations whose physical and emotional safety is at risk, such as those experiencing domestic violence. Working with these populations raises concerns related to participant safety, mental and emotional well-being, COVID-19 social distancing requirements, participant confidentiality, and data security. To address these concerns, we developed a set of protocols for conducting online focus groups with individuals whose experiences put them at high risk for emotional distress and social harm due to research participation. As part of a larger project with community-based partners, we sought more information on the impact of violence on mothers. IRB-approved online protocols were successfully implemented by researchers during two focus groups, each with five to six participants (mothers) who had experienced violence. Innovative strategies included identifying the safest virtual platform, having a licensed counselor and advocates on standby during the focus groups, developing trauma-informed distress and disclosure protocols, using technological safeguards to ensure confidentiality (e.g., assigning non-identifying nicknames in waiting rooms before the online focus group), providing onsite technical assistance, and co-locating participants in the same building while maintaining social distancing. The successful implementation of these methods suggests that it is possible to collect quality information on sensitive topics using a virtual format while maintaining confidentiality and using a trauma and resilience-informed approach. We hope that future data collection efforts with groups experiencing behavioral health risks related to research participation may benefit from sharing this methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Co-designing research-informed guidelines with youth for adapting research methods to other contexts has received little research attention. We report on guidelines co-designed with youth for adapting arts-based methods (ABM) for youth mental health (MH) research in online environments. Seven youth co-researchers participated in 3 co-design workshops and 2 graphic recording focus groups. Data analysis involved a thematic analysis approach. We identified one overarching theme (sustaining mindful presence when conducting research) and 4 subthemes (creating a safe space, youth having a say, facilitating meaningful engagement, paying receptive attention throughout the research process). Facilitating participants' authentic expression in online environments requires: 1) Letting youth self-identify; 2) incorporating diversity and inclusion; 3) providing accommodations, recognition, and compensation; 4) language considerations; 5) offering ABM training and resources for creating art; 6) using virtual platforms youth use; 7) being mindful of ethical considerations and technology fatigue; 8) addressing barriers in accessing and using technology; 9) providing choice in type of ABM and research methods used; and 10) providing options for communicating during research activities and for engaging in research outside of allotted time (e.g., email, group chat). These research-informed guidelines can be useful for conducting youth MH research and other youth research in online environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoice is a participatory action research method in which participants take and narrate photographs to share their experiences and perspectives. This method is gaining in popularity among health researchers. Few studies, however, have described virtual photovoice data collection despite the growing interest among qualitative health researchers for online data collection. As such, the aim of this article is to discuss the implementation of a virtual photovoice study and presents some of the challenges of this design and potential solutions. The study examined issues of social isolation and mental health among older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canadian province of Québec. Twenty-six older adults took photographs depicting their experience of the pandemic that were then shared in virtual discussion groups. In this article, we discuss three key challenges arising from our study and how we navigated them. First, we offer insights into managing some of the technical difficulties related to using online meeting technologies. Second, we describe the adjustments we made during our study to foster and maintain positive group dynamics. Third, we share our insights into the process of building and maintaining trust between both researchers and participants, and amongst participants. Through a discussion of these challenges, we offer suggestions to guide the work of health promotion researchers wishing to conduct virtual photovoice studies, including with older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that mental health interventions are more effective when they consider the whole context of schools; addressing the needs of all students, their families, and staff; otherwise known as a whole-school approach (WSA). The UK Government is piloting WSAs to transform mental health and wellbeing by locating educational mental health practitioners in educational settings across England. This study aims to develop a 'bottom-up' understanding of the contextual factors and mechanisms that underlie WSAs in Trailblazer schools in the North East and North Cumbria, to gain insight into the facilitators and barriers of delivering a WSA, and optimal evaluation methods. To undertake a realist evaluation, we included the generation of initial programme theories from existing academic literature and policy documents; 'theory gleaning' interviews with NHS/local authority stakeholders, Trailblazer staff and school senior leaders; refining and development of theories; and individual interviews and focus groups with pupils, parent/carers and school staff. The findings will enable Trailblazer partners to better understand how their WSAs to mental health contain the essential components for transformation in schools in the region. This will contribute to the embedding of continuous evaluation into regional Trailblazers' practice for participating schools, for subsequent annual waves and producing relevant findings for non-Trailblazer schools. Complementing the national evaluation of all 25 Wave 1 Trailblazer pilot sites, this study will generate an explanatory theoretical account of how to optimally design, implement and evaluate WSAs by exploring the contextual factors associated with implementation of WSAs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Qualitative research is increasingly being integrated within the development and evaluation phases of trials of complex health interventions. Qualitative research can complement effectiveness data and provide insights around how context and implementation impact the results of the trial and to what extent interventions fit implementation contexts after evaluation. Several qualitative studies have been conducted at different stages of trials of mental health and psychosocial support interventions for populations affected by adversity such as armed conflict and disasters. However, these qualitative components are usually implemented as disjointed components within the trial. The current protocol aims to provide a shared framework detailing the qualitative components of the CHANGE project trial: a program of work to address alcohol misuse and associated mental health comorbidities among conflict-affected populations in Uganda and Ukraine. In particular, the objectives of the current protocol are (i) to identify the specific qualitative questions and methods that will be undertaken in CHANGE; (ii) characterize the different methodological approaches to analyzing the data; and (iii) explain how each qualitative component within the different work-packages will cumulatively add value to each other over the duration of the CHANGE project. The current protocol will represent a useful template for the integration of serial qualitative research components within complex health interventions in humanitarian settings. Each qualitative components described will undergo formal ethics approval by ethics boards in the United Kingdom, Uganda, and Ukraine. Multiple mechanisms will be in place to ensure rigor and trustworthiness of the research by meeting the criteria of credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring constructions of mental health in the perinatal period among Indian immigrants can be challenging. This article describes the use of visual methods, photo elicitation, free listing and pile sorting, as an adjunct to face-to-face interviews to understand the constructions of perinatal mental health among Indian immigrants in Australia. The benefits and challenges of using these methods and modifications made during the research are explained. The modifications resulted in a broader understanding of terminology used by the Indian community. Incorporating visual methods as an adjunct to interviews when discussing perinatal mental health with Indian immigrants is effective and using multiple methods enhances the richness of data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background : Young people spend a large proportion of their time in school, which presents both risk and protective factors for their mental health. A supportive school culture can promote and protect good mental health by creating experiences of safety and belonging amongst staff and students. In this qualitative study, we seek to explore whether a participatory action research (PAR) approach is an effective way to promote and improve student mental health. Methods : Participatory action research is an approach in which people collaboratively research their own experience: the researched communities become co-researchers of their own experiences in a specific context. We will work with four secondary schools in the UK to develop PAR projects. In each school, a group of 2–4 staff and 6–8 students will work together to develop a shared understanding of their school culture and to introduce activities or changes to make the culture more supportive of student mental health. We will evaluate the effectiveness of the PAR approach through i) a review of school documents pertaining to mental health (e.g., policies and Ofsted reports), ii) interviews with staff members (n = 40), parents (n = 8) and students (n = 24–40) before and after the PAR intervention, iii) observations and reports of the PAR group meetings and iv) interviews with members of the PAR groups after the PAR intervention. Discussion : We anticipate that our research findings will advance knowledge on effective methods to develop a positive school culture that will contribute to the improvement of young people's mental health and well-being. We will seek to identify the mechanisms through which school culture can have a positive impact on mental health and develop a logic model and a school culture toolkit that can be utilised as a resource to inform public health interventions to promote mental health in a range of educational settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]