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Encountering and processing secondary traumatic stress during qualitative interviews with displaced Iraqis: a research note

Qualitative interviewing is an affective process that involves interacting with others on an interpersonal level. This approach can bring to the surface traumatic and painful memories for participants as well as for the interviewer. I recently completed research involving semi-structured interviews with individuals who sought refuge in the United States after the 2003 American invasion of their country. Although research focused primarily on participants’ lives after resettlement, a salient unexpected conversation topic was participants’ recollections of the war. Because of frequent recurrence of this topic, I experienced symptoms of secondary traumatic stress. I was unprepared for the emotional and psychological effects conducting research with those who have experienced trauma can entail. I situate my experience within the extant literature on risks to qualitative researchers and detail for other scholars engaged in similar work the possibility of encountering secondary traumatic stress, the importance of preparing for it, and potential strategies for addressing it.