William James Center for Research, ISPA-Instituto Universitário, 1149-041 Lisbon, Portugal.
Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Jan 10;20(2):1261. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20021261.
As research subjects, refugees have numerous potential vulnerabilities. This study aimed to examine the ethics- and trauma-informed challenges of implementing a mental health research protocol with Syrian refugees living in Portugal. Guided by the integrated meaning-making model, the research project "Journeys in Meaning" employed a mixed-methods cross-sectional design to explore posttraumatic cognitive processing in refugees using two phases of data collection: two focus groups (Phase 1) to test the protocol and 39 in-depth individual interviews (Phase 2) to implement the protocol. Results examine the strategies used to address the following: methodological challenges related to protocol design, participant recruitment, and language; ethics- and trauma-informed challenges aimed at minimizing harm and maximizing benefit to participants that followed social justice principles; and perceived compassion fatigue on the part of the researcher following repeated empathetic exposure to traumatic content. Findings suggest the need for adaptive approaches to research with refugee populations that challenge strict compliance with the traditional principles of "do no harm" and researcher neutrality, and that accommodate individual and community complexities.
作为研究对象，难民有许多潜在的脆弱性。本研究旨在探讨在葡萄牙生活的叙利亚难民实施心理健康研究方案所面临的伦理和创伤知情挑战。本研究项目“意义之旅”以综合意义建构模型为指导，采用混合方法的横断面设计，使用两个阶段的数据收集来探索难民的创伤后认知加工：两个焦点小组（第 1 阶段）来测试方案和 39 个深度个体访谈（第 2 阶段）来实施方案。研究结果检验了以下策略的使用：与方案设计、参与者招募和语言相关的方法学挑战；遵循社会正义原则，旨在将伤害最小化并使参与者受益最大化的伦理和创伤知情挑战；以及在反复共情接触创伤内容后，研究人员感知到的同情疲劳。研究结果表明，需要对难民群体的研究采取适应性方法，这些方法挑战了严格遵守“不伤害”和研究人员中立性的传统原则，并适应个人和社区的复杂性。
