Do #qualitative interviews cause #distress when used for sensitive topics and/or in sensitive populations?
A thread (& case study with #cancer #survivors).
1/5

2/5 #Qualitative research is ideally suited to gain rich insights into human experience, including those with medical conditions and at-risk groups.

But, one #barrier to conducting #Qualitative interviews is concern (often from physicians or IRB/ethics) of causing #distress

3/5 Yet, data on distress around #qualitative #interviews with medical pops is lacking.

In our new #PsychoOncologypaper, #AYA #cancersurvivors completed a validated distress screening tool before, after & 1 week after an interview on #fearofrecurrence

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/pon.5544

4/5 We found:
Ave. distress levels were low at all timepoints
Mean distress was highest before the interview (anticipatory anxiety?)
One p't had a distress peak after the interview, but quickly resolved
Given variability, distress screening protocols may be useful

5/5 In sum, we found little evidence that #qualitative interviews on a sensitive topic ( #fearofrecurrence) and in a sensitive population (young #cancersurvivors) cause lasting distress.

Anecdotally, p'ts reported interview as #cathartic & a chance to reflect on a life experience