Managing self-care as a researcher when investigating sensitive feminist topics with qualitative research

There is an ever-growing range of research on the experiences of women within the criminal justice system, especially when they report rape and sexual violence. However, there is currently less research into the specific experiences of online explicit content creators. My PhD aims to address this and start a conversation on rape myths, OnlyFans and the Criminal Justice System.

I am currently in the process of conducting semi-structured interviews with women OnlyFans content creators. During the Law PhD day at The Open University, I presented my current research plans, as well as some of the early findings from the interviews conducted. One question asked on this day was ‘how are you managing with the potentially distressing nature of interviews and how are you taking care of yourself as a researcher?’. This will be discussed throughout this blog.

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In order to conduct this research, I felt it was necessary to hear from women OnlyFans creators in order to raise their voices as a marginalised group of women and begin to start a conversation on women, the criminal justice system, rape myths and online content creation. This has led to discussions of creators own sexual assault experiences and other difficult experiences they’ve faced, which can become a very emotive discussion during interviews; therefore, having strategies in place for this has been very productive.

As a PhD student, much of your time is spent alone, researching and thinking about your area of research. This meant that before data collection began, I’d spent much of my time developing good habits to emotionally manage the challenges of a PhD, this has very much assisted with the progression into the data collection phase of this project. Some of the habits I implemented beforehand were regular exercise and walking, having a working routine and schedule, as well as being open and honest with my supervisors when I was finding the project challenging. Moving into data collection with these ingrained habits was invaluable, however extra care needed to now be taken to ensure I as the researcher keep well, throughout data collection.

This section will outline my top tips and experiences of how to research an emotionally challenging topic:

Each researcher may take a different approach to self-care during research, you may choose your own activities or plans, however these actions have helped me.

After many interviews, I as a woman and feminist, have felt anger, uncertainty and sadness when discussing sexual assaults and women’s thoughts around reporting sexual violence. After each interview, I have a rule of taking a walk, this allows time to process how I am feeling and clear my head. I then come back to my desk and write in my researcher diary, this is to help with reflexivity throughout the journey, and will be crucial when I come to analysis.

Before each interview let your supervisor know where and when the interview is. Check in with them afterwards if necessary. However, if something has particularly caught your attention or focus, it may be wise to book a session to talk this through with a professional such as a clinical supervisor (counsellor). This will allow you to re-gain clarity and de-load emotions you are feeling. Often friends or family may not be able to discuss such topics with you, or they may not understand why you are doing the research, or what it means, and therefore an objective opinion on your thoughts may be useful. This plan was something I put in place before starting data collection and will be using if, and when, I need to. There are also other support networks amongst universities, such as groups for those who are researching sensitive topics.

Find things you enjoy doing outside of your research. I have a rule that I will not book more than two interviews in one day, this allows for decompression time and reflection time. If interviews are finished early, go for a walk or for a coffee with a friend, you need thinking time post-interview before continuing to work, take time to step away from your data and reflect.

Overall, as a researcher, before beginning my research I identified my positionality and thought about my own feelings before conducting the research as well as having an action plan in place, should any challenges come up. Despite some emotional discussions, I have found that having this plan has helped with objectivity and holding the space for women to tell their stories during interviews. These stories are not mine, I am just holding the space and helping to share them and raise the voices of a marginalised group, a responsibility I take very seriously. Therefore, having a plan before researching a sensitive topic is both advisable and sensible and I hope this helps those researching sensitive areas in the future!

About the blog author - Georgia Boyd

Georgia is in her second year of PhD study with the Open University (with a full studentship). In her research, she is investigating OnlyFans, content creation and the English criminal justice system and courtroom. Georgia has a keen interest in researching feminism and the law; investigating socio-legal perspectives through qualitative research. She is also a lecturer in Criminology and has taught across multiple Policing and Criminology modules at the University of East London.