Interview Questions

These are the questions we are asking the participants in each group so that we can learn more about your experiences with research processes, and get your perspective on a trauma-informed approach to research.

Community Member Questions

    1. Can you tell me a little bit about the different research studies that you’ve participated in?

    2. So one of the things we are interested in is what motivates people to participate in research. Can you tell me about why you participate in research that is on the trans community or about trans-specific issues?

    3. Thinking about the study (or studies) you’ve participated in, what are some of the benefits you’ve experienced from participating?

    4. What might be some deal breakers that would make you think twice about participating in a study or decide to withdraw from participation?

    5. What do you think motivates researchers to conduct trans-specific research?

    1. Thinking about the research studies you’ve participated in, can you give me an example of a time you felt safe or respected during the research process?

    2. OK, now can you give me an example of something that made you feel unsafe, threatened, and uncomfortable or disrespected during the research process?

    3. 3. What stands out to you – either positive or negative – from your first interactions with a researcher, or the way you found about a study or were recruited for a study?

    4. What stands out to you about the informed consent process?

    5. What stands out to you when you think about surveys or questionnaires that you’ve been asked to fill out?

    6. What stands out to you in terms of the specific types of activities you’ve been asked to complete as a study participant?

    7. What stands out to you in terms of the compensation or incentives you’ve received for your research participation?

    8. What stands out to you about how findings from the study (or studies) you’ve participated in were shared with you?

    1. What are your initial thoughts or feedback about this model and how it might be useful both the research process and everyone involved?

    2. What are some ways researchers can integrate these principles into their research and create a trauma-informed research environment?

    1. How can TGNB communities make sure that researchers actually follow these best practices and use a trauma-informed research approach?

Researcher Questions

    1. Can you tell me a little bit about the different research studies that you’ve conducted with TGNBI communities?

    2. Can you tell me about what motivated or interested you in conducting trans specific research?

    3. What do you think motivates trans and non-binary folks to participate in research in general – or in your research studies specifically?

    4. In your experience – not necessarily with your own studies – are there factors that make trans or non-binary people hesitant or reluctant to participate in research?

    1. Can you tell me a little bit about how you recruit trans or non-binary study participants?

    2. Can you tell me a little bit about your approach to the informed consent process?

    3. If your research includes surveys – can you tell me a little bit about the types of measures that you use and how you choose your measures?

    4. What type of reactions have your participants had to your survey questions?

    5. How about other research procedures (like biological specimen collection, other types of testing, interviews) – how do you make decisions about what types of things to include?

    6. How do you determine the type and amount of compensation or incentive you will give study participants?

    7. Thinking about your research studies with trans and non-binary communities, can you give me an example of a time when a study participant expressed that they felt safe or respected during the research process?

    8. Ok, now how about an example of a time when a study participant expressed that they felt unsafe, threatened, uncomfortable or disrespected during the research process? This might not be an example from your own work…it might be something that you’ve heard about from another study.

    9. Can you tell me a little bit about how you disseminate your research findings?

    1. What are your initial thoughts or feedback about this model and how it might be useful or not when applied to the research process?

    2. What are some specific ways that researchers can apply each of those trauma-informed principles to the research process?

    3. Now let’s go back to the “what hurts” portion of the infographic – do these examples make you think about any specific recommendations to help researchers avoid retraumatizing participants during protocols or procedures?

    1. What recommendations do you have to increase the likelihood that any guidelines that come out of this study will actually be used by researchers?

    2. What recommendations do you have for incorporating guidelines into the ways that RFAs or grant solicitations are written?

    3. What recommendations do you have for incorporating guidelines into the grant review process?

    4. How about other areas, like IRB, or scientific publication or presentation, or mentorship?

Mental Health Clinician Questions

    1. Can you tell me a little bit about your clinical practice, specifically your clinical work with trans and non-binary individuals?

    2. Can you tell me about what motivated or interested you in working with TGNB communities?

    3. As I’m sure you’re aware, there has been increasing focus and attention on TGNB populations in research over the past five years. What do you see as some of the benefits of trans specific research and how do you think research impacts the community?

    1. As a clinician, can you give me some examples of actions or behaviors that may cue safety or threat to TGNB communities within the research process or interactions?

    2. What types of things do you think might cue safety or threat during study recruitment or informed consent?

    3. Most research on stigma and discrimination among TGNB communities is collected through surveys or questionnaires. What do you think researchers should consider when creating survey questions that are meant to elicit responses around stigmatizing experiences or discriminatory practices?

    4. What do you think is important for researchers to consider when determining the type, amount and frequency with which participants should be compensated for their study participation?

    5. What do you think are some of the emotional risks to research participation – especially about stigma – for TGNB individuals and how can researchers try to reduce this risk?

    6. How can researchers ensure that their study findings are disseminated in a way that is both useful to your work and the TGNB communities?

    1. What are your initial thoughts or feedback about this model and how it might be useful or not when applied to the research process?

    2. What are some specific ways that researchers can apply each of those trauma-informed principles to the research process?

    3. Now let’s go back to the “what hurts” portion of the infographic – do these examples make you think about any specific recommendations to help researchers avoid retraumatizing participants during protocols or procedures?

    1. What recommendations do you have to increase the likelihood that any guidelines that come out of this study will actually be used by researchers?

    2. What recommendations do you have for training that could be provided to researchers to increase accountability?

    3. What information do you think potential participants needs to feel empowered to make an informed decision about whether or not to participate in a study?

    4. Are there any strategies that can be used be clinicians to help empower clients or help them navigate the research process?