Qualitative Researcher Reflexivity: A Follow-Up Study with Female Sexual Assault Survivors

Authors

Stephanie Hoover, Western Oregon UniversityFollow
Susan L. Morrow, University of Utah

Abstract

Motivated by researcher reflexivity, the author sought to learn from participants about the sensitive, ethical issues of the qualitative research process. The current study followed up with eight women who had previously participated in an interview-based study about sexual assault disclosure. Multiple sources of qualitative data were triangulated, including interviews, follow-up interviews, interviews from the original study, and participant checks. Phenomenological analysis yielded five themes: (a) Meaning of Participation, (b) Trust in the Researcher, (c) Connection with the Other Participants, (d) Changing Comfort, and (e) Recommendations to Increase Participants’ Comfort. Based on these results, recommendations are provided for researchers conducting reflexive qualitative research practices.

Keywords

Reflexivity, Qualitative Methods, Interview, Sexual Assault, Disclosure

Author Bio(s)

Stephanie M. Hoover, Ph.D., Department of Psychological Sciences, Western Oregon University. Dr. Hoover is an Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences at Western Oregon University. She is a counseling psychologist, and her interests include qualitative research methods, trauma, multicultural counseling, and social justice.

Susan L. Morrow, Ph.D., Department of Educational Psychology, University of Utah. Dr. Morrow is a Professor of Counseling Psychology in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Utah. She is a feminist qualitative research methodologist, and her clinical and research interests include gender, sexual orientation, trauma, multiculturalism, and social justice.

Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: Stephanie M. Hoover at hooverst@wou.edu or Phone 503-838-8512.

Publication Date

9-21-2015

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2303

Recommended APA Citation

Hoover, S., & Morrow, S. L. (2015). Qualitative Researcher Reflexivity: A Follow-Up Study with Female Sexual Assault Survivors. The Qualitative Report, 20(9), 1476-1489. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2303