Research on structural and behavioral determinants of HIV risk often involves sensitive questions on difficult topics – drug and alcohol use, sexual behaviors, and experiences of sexual assault, trauma, and violence. We attempt to mitigate the psychological harms of evoking these experiences for participants through trauma-informed approaches to our study procedures and offering to connect participants to whatever psycho-social supports are available in the local study context. However, the real potential for secondary trauma along local study staff are often overlooked. This study uses qualitative methods to explore experiences of secondary trauma among current and former HIV study staff in the Kingdom of Eswatini (formerly Swaziland).

the Kingdom of Eswatini

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