Research following trauma in minority ethnic and faith communities: lessons from a study of the psychosocial sequelae of the Christchurch mosque terror attacks

Abstract

Recruiting participants for research from highly traumatised ethnic and faith communities requires a participatory and trauma-informed approach that considers logistic barriers, as well as trauma-related and culture-specific issues. Active community engagement through every stage of the project and employing community members in research roles can help build trust, identify and mitigate concerns early, prevent re-traumatization, and ensure that findings will be of value to the community. Some of these research challenges are discussed in the context of the Christchurch mosque terror attacks. These insights may be helpful for researchers and clinicians working in similarly challenging environments.

Keywords

• Trauma and stressor-related disorders
• stigma and discrimination
• terrorist attack
• ethnic diversity
• Muslim