Navigating the Ethical Challenges of Case Study Methodology in Emotionally Impactful Emancipatory Research

This research aimed to develop a better understanding of professional sexual abuse in the mental health system and to make proposals for policy and practice in this area. It utilizes a feminist, emancipatory, case study methodology to challenge the prevailing psychodynamically orientated models that have led to victim blaming. The first phase used an instrumental case study and drew on a wide range of informants who were connected to the case of a woman who was raped at home by her community psychiatric nurse. The second phase drew on the views of a panel of stakeholders in the mental health system. They were asked to authenticate the findings of the first phase and identify areas of resonance or dissonance with their own experiences. Data was gathered in both phases of the study using semi-structured interviews and archival analysis. The results revealed that sexual abuse by professionals in the mental health system is only one aspect of endemic poor boundaries and that there is little awareness of the difficulty victims have in disclosing such abuse and the long-term impact on their lives. The study provides an exemplar for this practice area but can also inform future studies that seek to illuminate a phenomenon based on a topic that has historically been given little attention in research. It also provides insight into how to navigate some key ethical challenges when researching emotionally impactful topic areas.