"Maybe it's a very normal thing that we often forget about our own mental health": Researchers' safety in HCI research with, around, and about trauma

Abstract

Research with and about communities navigating trauma and high-risk situations is gaining prominence in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), yet the well-being and safety of researchers conducting this work remain underexplored. We conducted a study involving ten semi-structured interviews with HCI researchers, examining their support systems, the impact of their work on their well-being, self-care practices, available resources, and field-specific norms. We uncovered critical issues through thematic analysis, including insufficient ethical and conference review guidelines, a lack of institutional support such as counseling and training, and a reliance on informal knowledge-sharing networks. These findings highlight an urgent need for systemic changes within HCI. We provide actionable design implications on four levels: individual, small team, institutional, and research community, and discuss how these insights can foster safer, more sustainable practices for researchers.