Burnout Prevention and Mitigation Protocol for Research Staff on Sexual and Intimate Partner Violence

A new study from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh has highlighted the need for a burnout prevention and mitigation protocol for research staff conducting studies on sexual and intimate partner violence. The research emphasizes that while policies exist to protect research participants, there is a lack of consideration for the well-being of research staff, who are at risk of burnout and vicarious trauma. The study proposes that burnout prevention and mitigation protocols should be tailored to the unique needs and data collection methods of each research team, and should be co-created with research team members.

Key Takeaways:

• The study emphasizes the need for burnout prevention and mitigation protocols for research staff conducting studies on sexual and intimate partner violence, citing the limited research in this area and the researchers' own experiences as SV and IPV researchers.
• The researchers propose that burnout mitigation protocols should be tailored to the unique needs and data collection methods of each research team, and should be co-created with research team members.
• The study provides guidance for researchers interested in developing burnout prevention and mitigation protocols for their own studies, including the importance of being adaptive and responsive to research team needs.
• The research highlights the importance of considering the well-being of research staff, who are at risk of burnout and vicarious trauma, despite the existence of critical institutional structures and policies for the protection of research participants.
• The study concludes that a burnout prevention and mitigation protocol should be a critical component of conducting research on trauma-relevant topics, and has the potential to generalize beyond SV and IPV research.
• Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, including Emily F. Dauria and Karen Jakubowski, were involved in the study.
• The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Statistics:

• The study found that there is a lack of consideration for the well-being of research staff in academic and medical research settings, despite the existence of critical institutional structures and policies for the protection of research participants.
• The researchers propose that burnout mitigation protocols will likely be most impactful and effective if they are tailored to the unique needs and data collection methods of the research team, are co-created with research team members, and are adaptive and responsive to research team needs.
• The study suggests that a burnout prevention and mitigation protocol should be considered a critical component of conducting research on trauma-relevant topics.

Sources:

• Health Education & Behavior, 2025:10901981251377715.
• University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.
• Sage Publications Inc, 2455 Teller Rd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA.