Nosipho Funeka

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a global health crisis [1], disproportionately affecting regions in eastern and southern Africa, which bear the highest burden of the epidemic [2]. Su...

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.

The province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, is no stranger to adversities. Between 2020 and 2022, KZN faced overlapping disasters, including the COVID-19 pandemic, episodes of looting and catastrophic floods. These disasters had multifaceted consequences for low-income communities. During the disasters, social work academics/practitioners provided psycho-social support to communities while working with a community engagement research centre, the MA’AT Institute, located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN). Adopting an autoethnographic methodology, we provide insights into the experiences of working in low-income communities during disasters. Based on these reflections, we suggest that social workers should often adopt a culturally sensitive approach to disaster response, poverty alleviation and the protection of human rights. We further highlight the complexities of community engagement in disaster-stricken areas when attempting to meet specific goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as no poverty, zero hunger and climate action. We call for adopting an Afrocentric and culturally responsive approach to strengthen the resilience of low-income communities in the face of disaster-related adversity.