Toward Trauma-Informed Research Practices with Youth in HCI: Caring for Participants and Research Assistants When Studying Sensitive Topics

Research involving sensitive data often leads to valuable human-centered insights. Yet, the effects of participating in and conducting research about sensitive data with youth are poorly understood. We conducted meta-level research to improve our understanding of these effects. We did the following: (i) asked youth (aged 13-21) to share their private Instagram Direct Messages (DMs) and flag their unsafe DMs; (ii) interviewed 30 participants about the experience of reflecting on this sensitive data; (iii) interviewed research assistants (RAs, n=12) about their experience analyzing youth's data. We found that reflecting about DMs brought discomfort for participants and RAs, although both benefited from increasing their awareness about online risks, their behavior, and privacy and social media practices. Participants had high expectations for safeguarding their private data while their concerns were mitigated by the potential to improve online safety. We provide implications for ethical research practices and the development of reflective practices among participants and RAs through applying trauma-informed principles to HCI research.