research-article

The emotional wellbeing of researchers: considerations for practice

Author:

Wendy MoncurAuthors Info & Claims

CHI '13: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 1883 - 1890

https://doi.org/10.1145/2470654.2466248

Published: 27 April 2013 Publication History

Abstract

As technology progressively pervades all aspects of our lives, members of the HCI community are engaging with increasingly sensitive contexts in their research - for example, end of life, genocide, computer-mediated communication under oppressive regimes. The considerations generated by research in such contexts can go well beyond those addressed by generic ethical approval processes and institutional practice. Whilst it is standard to ensure that the wellbeing of participants is taken into account in research design and the ethical approval process, it is much less common for the researcher's own emotional wellbeing to be considered explicitly. This paper describes the role that a researcher's emotions may play in research, and the impact which research in sensitive contexts can have on researchers' emotional wellbeing and on research validity. A qualitative survey is described which investigated the support mechanisms which HCI researchers have in place in case they are distressed/troubled as a result of their research. The results of the survey are used, in combination with insights into how other disciplines address the topic, to synthesize suggestions for ways in which the HCI community can proactively incorporate consideration for the emotional wellbeing of the researcher into the research process.

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Cited By

Yee JAkama YAvendano Franco AChen KImanishi HKikuchi YKushinsky SRalston NTeasley STeerapong K(2024)Invisible Designing: Emotional and Affective Labour in Relational Participatory PracticesProceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2024: Exploratory Papers and Workshops - Volume 210.1145/3661455.3669872(67-72)Online publication date: 11-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3661455.3669872
Bellini R(2024)Abusive Partner Perspectives on Technology Abuse: Implications for Community-based Violence PreventionProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36372928:CSCW1(1-25)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637292
Panicker ANurain NIbrahim ZWang CHa SKaziunas EWolters MChung C(2024)Forms of Fraudulence in Human-Centered Design: Collective Strategies and Future Agenda for Qualitative HCI ResearchExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3636309(1-5)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
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Index Terms

The emotional wellbeing of researchers: considerations for practice
1. Human-centered computing
2. Social and professional topics
  1. Computing / technology policy

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI '13: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2013

3550 pages

ISBN:9781450318990

DOI:10.1145/2470654

General Chair:
Wendy E. Mackay
INRIA
,
Program Chairs:
Stephen Brewster
Glasgow University
,
Susanne Bødker
University of Aarhus

Copyright © 2013 ACM.

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Published: 27 April 2013

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Cited By

Yee JAkama YAvendano Franco AChen KImanishi HKikuchi YKushinsky SRalston NTeasley STeerapong K(2024)Invisible Designing: Emotional and Affective Labour in Relational Participatory PracticesProceedings of the Participatory Design Conference 2024: Exploratory Papers and Workshops - Volume 210.1145/3661455.3669872(67-72)Online publication date: 11-Aug-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3661455.3669872
Bellini R(2024)Abusive Partner Perspectives on Technology Abuse: Implications for Community-based Violence PreventionProceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction10.1145/36372928:CSCW1(1-25)Online publication date: 26-Apr-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3637292
Panicker ANurain NIbrahim ZWang CHa SKaziunas EWolters MChung C(2024)Forms of Fraudulence in Human-Centered Design: Collective Strategies and Future Agenda for Qualitative HCI ResearchExtended Abstracts of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613905.3636309(1-5)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613905.3636309
Panicker ANurain NIbrahim ZWang CHa SWu YConnelly KSiek KChung C(2024)Understanding fraudulence in online qualitative studies: From the researcher's perspectiveProceedings of the 2024 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3613904.3642732(1-17)Online publication date: 11-May-2024
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3613904.3642732
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https://doi.org/10.1109/SP54263.2024.00071
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Robertson LLim C(2023)Time to Reflect. Exploring wellbeing, emotional work and research identity following a PhD.Blucher Design Proceedings10.5151/ead2023-5GLA-02FULL_TimetoReflect_Robertson_Lim(893-903)Online publication date: Dec-2023
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Till SMkhize MFarao JShandu LMuthelo LColeman TMbombi MBopape MKlingberg Svan Heerden AMothiba TDensmore MVerdezoto Dias N(2023)Digital Health Technologies for Maternal and Child Health in Africa and Other Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Cross-disciplinary Scoping Review With Stakeholder ConsultationJournal of Medical Internet Research10.2196/4216125(e42161)Online publication date: 7-Apr-2023
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