Hard but Good: Reactions to Research Participation Among Dissociative Individuals

Abstract
There is no consensus regarding the impact of trauma-, dissociation-, and non-suicidal self-injury- (NSSI) related research on participants. There are some that believe that trauma-related and NSSI-related research causes harm to participants. However, several research studies have found that those participating in such research endorse experiencing more benefits than costs from participating. While there are some trauma-, dissociation-, and NSSI-related research participants that experience unexpected emotional reactions to participation, not all of these emotional reactions are negative. There has been no study examining reactions to trauma-, dissociation-, and NSSI-related research participation among dissociative individuals.

In the present study, 228 dissociative individuals were recruited for an online survey through online forums geared toward trauma or dissociation. After completing trauma history, dissociation, and NSSI measures, among others, participants were given the Reactions to Research Participation Questionnaire (Newman et al., 2001) and a qualitative item regarding any unexpected reactions to participating in the study. A series of dependent t-tests revealed that participants indicated a positive benefit-to-cost ratio (p < .05), meaning that benefits of participating outweighed costs. A series of linear regressions revealed that dissociation severity was associated with emotional reactions (p = .015); however, dissociation severity was not associated with perceived drawbacks, personal benefits, global evaluation of their contribution, or their participation experience (p > .05). A hierarchical regression model revealed that trauma exposure predicted emotional reactions (p = .005), while NSSI history (p = .342) and dissociation did not (p = .157). Through codebook thematic analysis, two themes with subthemes were generated: (1) personal reactions (86.70%) and (2) critiques and suggestions for improvement of the study design (55.75%). In this poster, we will discuss the impact of participating in research on dissociative individuals, including reactions such as self-blame and gaining insight. We will offer related suggestions for research and clinical practice.