“Should I Send a Condolence Card?” Promoting Emotional Safety in Qualitative Health Research Through Reflexivity and Ethical Mindfulness

Abstract

We present a case study involving the unexpected deaths of two young people whose parents were taking part in a qualitative study concerning adolescents with chronic disease. We explore and highlight the ethically important moments, both procedural and emotional, and the implications for the research team, the ethics committee, and for qualitative health researchers more broadly. Our reflections are drawn from team discussion and analysis of the trainee researcher’s responses to the situation. We focus on (a) reflexivity and ethical mindfulness as a strategy for enhancing emotional safety, (b) the concept of emotional safety for qualitative researchers, and (c) the procedural issues and emotional responses that led to engagement with the human research ethics committee and resulting changes in policy. The article concludes by proposing recommendations for the promotion of emotional safety in qualitative health research that is relevant for researchers, especially trainee researchers, as well as ethics committees.