Asking about Violence: Improving Ethics in Violence Research, Kaduna Beta Test

How does participation in research on violence affect participants? In this study, we randomly assign 2500 Christian adults in Kaduna, Nigeria to a module which includes questions about their experiences of inter-religious violence or to no module on inter-religious violence, in order to determine the causal relationship between being asked about violence and participant wellbeing. By measuring participant levels of distress and reactions to research both immediately after their initial participation and one month after participation, we will speak to both the short- and longer-term impacts of participating in violence research on the psychological wellbeing of participants. In considering levels of distress (using adapted scales for measuring PTSD, anxiety and depression) as well as perceived benefits (such as altruistic good or personal benefits of participation), we will also contribute to the discussion of the holistic effect of participation in violence research.