Trauma-Informed and Healing-Centered Practices in the Context of HIV Cure Research: Some Reflections and Lessons Learned from Durban, South Africa

Abstract

Minimising trauma and distress during qualitative in-depth interviews (IDIs) is an essential ethical responsibility in trauma-related research. However, there is a dearth of literature on how researchers navigate real-life ethical and distress-related issues when conducting qualitative research in African contexts. In this paper, we reflect on the lessons learned during an exploratory qualitative study with 23 Female Rising in Education Support and Health (FRESH) research staff involved in an HIV cure trial with analytical treatment interruption (ATI) in South Africa. The study examined staff perspectives on trauma-informed and healing-centred care (TIHC) practices for ATI trial participants. Guided by Rolfe, Freshwater and Jasper’s (Rolfe, G., D. Freshwater, and M. Jasper. 2001. Critical Reflection in Nursing and the Helping Professions: A User’s Guide. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan) reflective model, we reflect on the importance of integrating TIHC practices and culturally appropriate approaches in qualitative research. Secondly, we reflect on using a person-in-environment lens (PIE) to understand research participants’ experiences in African settings. Additionally, we discuss the preservation and protection of participant confidentiality throughout the research process and how we observed real-time ethics while conducting IDIs. Lastly, we reflect on the importance of ensuring researcher wellbeing during IDIs and conclude by summarizing key lessons for conducting trauma-informed and healing-centred research within African contexts.