Research Summary
This qualitative research aims to explore experiences of human service workers (including front-line social workers, managers, policy analysts, researchers, and educators) and academics (of any discipline) who have concealable stigmatised identities in common with service users/clients, students, or topic areas in relation to research or teaching. The project will explore how participants make decisions about disclosure, their experiences of impacts of disclosure and non-disclosure, impacts of accidental outings, need for and availability of support, and other matters the participants consider important to address.
Participation Criteria:
Any member of ANZASW who considers themselves to have a concealable stigmatised identity that is relevant to their work. I will exclude close colleagues and ex-students within 4 years of my teaching them.
Invitation to Participate:
This qualitative research aims to explore experiences of human service workers (including front-line social workers, managers, policy analysts, researchers, and educators) and academics (of any discipline) who have concealable stigmatised identities in common with service users/clients, students, or topic areas in relation to research or teaching. Whether human service practitioners disclose or conceal stigmatised identities and to what extent and how they do so, has been written about in theoretical publications but is under researched, at least in part due to the sensitive
nature of the topic. I will use a constructionist grounded theory methodology to explore how participants make decisions about disclosure, experiences of impacts of disclosure and non-disclosure, impacts of accidental outings, need for and availability of support, and other matters the participants consider important to address. My previous experience of sensitive research where confidentiality was of utmost importance includes workplace bullying and harassment of human service workers (in particular social workers); these problems sometimes arise as discrimination in relation to diversity.
Participants are sought nationally. Criteria for inclusion are that participants are aware of holding a concealable stigmatised identity and have had experiences of disclosure related dilemmas.
Your involvement in this project will entail partaking in a recorded ZOOM interview of approximately one hour duration. You will have the right to withdraw from the project at any time, including withdrawal of any information provided. The outcomes of the research are intended to be published but neither participant nor organisational identities will be disclosed.
I can be contacted by email or telephone at the address below. Any discussion will not commit you to participation and will be kept in confidence. You will receive a further letter of information and consent form if you indicate you are interested in participating.
Professor Kate van Heugten
The School of Language, Social, and Political Sciences |Te Kura Mātāpuna Tangata
University of Canterbury | Te Whare Wananga o Waitaha
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch
kate.vanheugten@canterbury.ac.nz
Telephone: (03) 3642 51
This study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Canterbury Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). If you have a complaint about this research, please contact the Chair of the HREC at human-ethics@canterbury.ac.nz).
Date published: 27 July 2023
Date closes: 31 July 2024