Trauma Interactions in Emotionally Demanding Research: Understanding How Content, Context and Culture Influence Researcher Experiences

Professional development webinar organized by the Student Concerns Subcommittee.

March 4, 2026 @ 12:00pm Eastern Time

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The emotional impact of research on researcher’s wellbeing is considerable, yet under-studied.  This project aims to address this gap. In this presentation we draw on interviews with academic and non-academic researchers across 12 countries who undertake self-defined emotionally demanding research. We consider the ways in which personal, institutional and community, and socio-cultural factors combine to mitigate or intensify the emotional demands of research – an understanding that situates the researcher within an ecological framework wherein emotional impacts and vicarious trauma are not linked only to the topic of research. We aim to better understand vicarious trauma and identify means to support researchers.

Guest: Dr. Stacey Scriver

Dr. Stacey Scriver is Head of Discipline of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Galway. She has worked on issues of sexual and gender-based violence in Ireland and internationally for over 15 years. This work led to an interest in researcher well-being, engaging closely with emotionally demanding research contexts, with particular attention to the ethical, emotional, and relational dimensions of qualitative research. Stacey’s scholarship highlights the often-invisible emotional labour involved in researching sensitive topics and advocates for greater reflexivity, care, and institutional support for researchers. She contributes to broader conversations on wellbeing, ethics, and sustainability in feminist and social research.