In the aftermath of a disaster, researchers often arrive, looking to find participants in their studies. While well meaning, the act of engaging locals in this research can worsen the impact, as those participants can have their traumas refreshed or otherwise exacerbated.
To help minimize the potentially negative impacts of these studies, researchers should look to approaches like the SHIFT framework, which was developed for the purpose of establishing an ethical approach by which rigorous scientific data could be gathered while still providing support and considerations for the experiences of those harmed by disaster. To that measure, the SHIFT framework considers five key elements:
- Incorporating social-ecological context into measurement,
- Preventing stigma or fear about hazards during data collection,
- Understanding the history of information locally collected or enforced in the past,
- Encouraging fair-minded practices that identify and avoid power imbalances, and
- Co-creating transdisciplinary knowledge that serves societal and scientific needs.
Says Bethany Cutts, co-developer of the SHIFT framework Bethany Cutts, associate professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at North Carolina State University and a faculty fellow at NC State’s Center for Geospatial Analytics, “It’s one thing to do things to people and another to do things for or with people. The community has contextual knowledge you need, to do work in service of the public good and have that work be maintained.”
Source:
https://phys.org/news/2024-01-guidance-community-engaged-disasters.amp
