Distress in Response to and Perceived Usefulness of Trauma Research Interviews

Because studying trauma often involves asking about upsetting experiences, it is important for researchers to study the effects of such interviews on research participants, particularly those who may be more vulnerable. In a study of psychiatric inpatients that included a structured interviews for PTSD and childhood physical and sexual assault experiences, participants rated how upsetting and how helpful or useful they found the interview. Of the 223 participants for whom we knew level of distress, 70% experienced relatively low levels of distress, and 51% found participation to be useful in some way. Level of upset was moderately to strongly related to levels of past trauma and current symptoms, while perceived usefulness was not significantly related to any experiences or symptoms.