Behind the Screen and Behind the Researcher: Reflexivity in Digital Mental Health Inquiry

Authors

• Lesedi Kgatla, University of Free State, Bloemfontein, South AfricaFollow

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to reflexively examine how researcher positionality, theoretical commitments, methodological choices, and ethical decision-making shaped the interpretation of a previously conducted qualitative study on digital mental health activism. Drawing on my earlier digital ethnographic study of two South African mental health activists who used social media to disclose their experiences of depression, this paper presents a reflexive qualitative re-examination of the research process. The original study identified three themes: visibility through vulnerability, authenticity as activism, and community, connection, and psychoeducation. Rather than revisiting these as empirical findings, this paper examines how they were co-constructed through researcher experience, cultural assumptions, theoretical interpretation, and ethical reflection. The reflexive analysis presented in this paper demonstrates how internalized cultural narratives about emotional expression, together with dramaturgical and affect theories and ongoing ethical negotiations, influenced knowledge production. By positioning reflexivity as an analytic practice rather than a retrospective acknowledgment of bias, the paper shows how revisiting completed qualitative studies can strengthen methodological rigor, transparency, and ethical sensitivity while generating new methodological insights into researching vulnerability in digital environments.

Keywords

reflexivity, mental health activism, depression, authenticity, vulnerability, social media, South Africa, qualitative research, ethics

Author Bio(s)

Brightness L. Kgatla is a qualitative researcher whose work explores the intersections of digital culture, mental health, and identity in African contexts. Her research focuses on how social media users negotiate authenticity, stigma, and vulnerability in online spaces, particularly through acts of digital self-representation. She is also interested in ethical and reflexive methodologies for studying sensitive topics in digital environments. Please direct correspondence to [email protected]

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge my supervisors; Professor Ingrid Palmary and Dr. Muhammed Suleman.

Publication Date

10-31-2026

Creative Commons License

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

Recommended APA Citation

Kgatla, L. (2026). Behind the screen and behind the researcher: Reflexivity in digital mental health inquiry. The Qualitative Report, 31(10), 7003-7016.

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8110-7867