The Emotional Impact of Sensitive Topics: An Autoethnographic Account of an Ovarian Cancer Research

Growing evidence suggests that qualitative research about sensitive topics is emotional work with varied unanticipated risks for researchers. This autoethnographic essay adds to the extant literature by discussing the complexities added when the research topic is sensitive, and the researcher has not personally experienced the topic under study. I reflect on and analyze epiphanies in my research with 28 ovarian cancer survivors in northwest Ohio and southern Michigan in the United States, including how I processed the death of some participants. I suggest that practicing active listening, reflexivity, and flexibility can help manage limitations of a research project of this nature; however, these strategies can complicate the emotional vulnerability of the researcher and further limit the research. Implications of the study include a need for researchers seeking to study ovarian cancer or other sensitive topics to proactively incorporate flexibility and reflexivity into every phase of the research process and avoid making decisions for participants. Additionally, this research suggests to healthcare practitioners to understand the varied influences on the ovarian cancer experience, including guilty feelings and fear of death or disease recurrence, and acknowledge these during counseling sessions and at follow-up visits to help validate women’s experiences and open avenues for support.