Have a look below to view the VAMHN's research.
Ongoing Research
Advancing Emotional Safety in Conference Settings
Researchers studying violence and abuse often encounter traumatic material, which can lead to secondary or vicarious trauma. Factors such as a lack of institutional support and personal histories of violence increase this risk. Academic conferences on these topics pose additional challenges, as discussions can trigger distressing memories or evoke intense emotions in a public, professional setting. Issues like power imbalances, exclusion, and discriminatory behaviour further exacerbate these risks. Despite these concerns, there is little research or guidance on ensuring the emotional safety of attendees at such conferences.
To address this gap, the Violence Abuse and Mental Health Network (VAMHN) is leading a project to develop evidence-based guidelines to enhance emotional and physiological safety at conferences addressing violence and abuse. In mid-2024 we conducted a survey to investigate the emotional impact of attending these conferences and attendees’ experiences with existing safety measures, and to identify strategies to enhance emotional safety and wellbeing. One hundred people participated and we look forward to sharing our findings soon. In January 2025 we will be conducting a series of focus groups to explore these themes further. You can access the participant information sheet here and the topic guide here. If you are interested to join a focus group, please click here to share your contact details with us and a member of our research team will be in touch with you.
To address this gap, the Violence Abuse and Mental Health Network (VAMHN) is leading a project to develop evidence-based guidelines to enhance emotional and physiological safety at conferences addressing violence and abuse. In mid-2024 we conducted a survey to investigate the emotional impact of attending these conferences and attendees’ experiences with existing safety measures, and to identify strategies to enhance emotional safety and wellbeing. One hundred people participated and we look forward to sharing our findings soon. In January 2025 we will be conducting a series of focus groups to explore these themes further. You can access the participant information sheet here and the topic guide here. If you are interested to join a focus group, please click here to share your contact details with us and a member of our research team will be in touch with you.