On the 8th of July the Emotionally Demanding Research Network | RPI | Staff hub (EDRN) and CIRCLE hosted a joint seminar session featuring an inspirational presentation by Dr. Catherine Quinn - University of Bradford, an Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Dementia Studies, who discussed Emotional Labour in Dementia Research. The presentation drew on Catherine’s experiences in dementia research to explore the emotional impact of research on the researcher and was followed by an interesting group discussion about emotional labour in different forms of care research. The presentation highlighted that we often give insufficient attention to how we consider the role of emotions within the research process. This is despite an increasingly recognising that research can be emotionally demanding for the researcher, requiring a tremendous amount of mental, emotional, or physical energy and potentially affecting the researcher’s health or well-being.
Catherine’s work showcased how care and dementia research are often notable examples of this kind of research, where the emotional challenges of the research impact on the researcher. Drawing on her article published with colleagues on Emotional Labor in Dementia Research - Catherine Quinn, Alexandra Hillman, Ana Barbosa, Gill Toms, 2026 in Qualitative Health Research (which is very much worth a read), Catherine outlined why the area received more limited attention than it deserves. Importantly, they linked this to the pressures of the research environment (including data collection deadlines), concerns regarding perceived efficiency and professionalism, as well as a lack of focus in research proposals. Furthermore, as developed in the broader discussions, ethical issues tend to focus on the research participants, or too narrowly on the researcher’s physical safety, rather than the emotionally demanding aspects.
The presentation outlined the need for a greater focus and awareness of emotionally demanding research in care and dementia research, as well as providing some useful hints, tips and recommendations for embedding this focus. They highlighted the importance of clarifying roles and expectations of the researcher, mechanisms for building in support and opportunities for be-briefing and reflection. Catherine noted that while research can be unpredictable it is still possible to consider some ‘what if’ scenarios and potential approaches to dealing with these, as well as highlighting sources of support. The session stimulated some really interesting discussion from participants regarding challenges they had faced and approaches to addressing these in their own research. Following requests by participants, the EDRN and CIRCLE will be arranging further discussions on the topic in the new academic year, so look out for further discussions to connect with us about emotionally demanding research in the care sector.
