Participating in research: Experiences of people presenting to the emergency department with self-harm or suicidality

Abstract

Research on sensitive topics with vulnerable populations is challenging in terms of ensuring safety and obtaining ethical approval. We explored experiences of people with self-harm/suicidality taking part in research that included being video-recorded. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews took place within 2 weeks of attending the Emergency Department and were thematically analysed. Participating in research when in distress and in a challenging environment was found to be overwhelmingly positive. Participants valued contributing their time and insight, particularly when research was conducted in a skilled and kind manner. They identified personal (e.g., talking as part of the healing process) and wider benefits (e.g., helping to improve services) of participation, which for most, negated the difficulty of discussing highly sensitive topics when in crisis. Despite the potential ‘intrusiveness’ of video-recording, it was found to be acceptable by those who participated in the follow up interviews, and a better method for learning and capturing interactions than e.g., questionnaires, and did not impede communication and the disclosure of distress.