Ethical Considerations for Researchers’ Well-Being in the Development Process of Virtual Reality Scenarios for Child Emotional Maltreatment

Abstract

This paper aims to reflect on ethical considerations for the well-being ofresearchers involved in the development of virtual reality (VR) scenariosfor parents who emotionally maltreat their children. Ethical considerations, particularly potential emotional strain, arose throughoutthe VR scenario development, including topic selection and contentcreation. However, despite the significance of these issues, existingliterature addressing ethical challenges in researching sensitive topicsfrom the researcher’s perspective has focused solely on data collection oranalysis, overlooking the well-being of researchers involved in thedevelopment phase. To uphold high ethical standards, research shouldrecognize and safeguard the well-being and safety of researchersthroughout the study. In this methodological paper, the focus is on howan interdisciplinary team of researchers from technical and humansciences addressed the above concerns in biweekly reflective discussions. In these meetings, the team members shared theirexperiences and emotional reactions related to the development of VRscenarios simulating parents who were emotionally abusive toward theirchild. These reflective discussions created a secure environment for theresearchers to process complex ethical issues and find emotionalsupport, which is crucial for protecting their mental well-being from theoutset of the project. The discussions contributed to strengthening theteam’s overall well-being. In conclusion, this paper highlights thenecessity of regular reflective meetings during the development phase toenhance the ethical quality of data gathering and reporting. In addition,engaging in team-based reflection improves researcher well-being andfosters ethical awareness. Reflective discussions have the potential toprevent vicarious traumatization by strengthening resilience whenexposed to sensitive topics and addressing complex societal challenges.