Using Surveys to Investigate Violence and Mental Health Online: Challenges and Opportunities

Di Basilio, Daniela ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3786-442X (2022) Using Surveys to Investigate Violence and Mental Health Online: Challenges and Opportunities. In: SAGE Research Methods: Doing Research Online. SAGE Publications, Ltd.. ISBN 9781529799224

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Abstract

This case study will address some of the practical and ethical challenges that my colleagues and I encountered while conducting a study exploring the possible links between compulsive gaming, quality of intimate relationships, and use of violence against partners. It will present some of the benefits of using online surveys to explore sensitive research topics such as intimate partner violence and will discuss relevant considerations that should be addressed by researchers interested in this area of investigation. Some of the reflections arising from conducting this study will be presented, and specific situations will be used as examples to offer guidance on how to address practical challenges linked to conducting online research using quantitative methods. The considerations expressed aim to inform the debates around conducting ethical research using social media and online data collection methods and to offer concrete examples of how researchers can use reflectivity to inform their decisions.