Trauma-Informed Interviewing Considerations and Approaches

Trauma-informed research interviewing is a method of employing techniques that account for the potential or likely presence of trauma histories of research participants. While there is no universal set of techniques associated with trauma-informed interviewing methods, many approaches focus on some combination of six guiding trauma-informed care principles defined by the Centers for Disease Control: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment; voice and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender issues. This entry discusses ways that researchers can apply these considerations to qualitative interviews and research design.