"Research Considering Policy: Developing Best Practices for Conducting Trauma-Informed Abortion Research in Post Roe v Wade America"

Background: In conducting a study of Jewish women’s abortion experiences in America, the researchers developed trauma-informed research protocols. Whereas the initial study explored the role religion played in abortion experiences, this paper will explore the complexity of participants sharing sensitive abortion experiences in a hostile political environment that necessitated implementing a trauma-informed approach to research for both the participants and researchers involved (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration [SAMHSA], 2014).

Methods: The study included 200 surveys and 100 semistructured 30-60 minute interviews of Jewish women who had abortions between 1974-2024 in America. Following the initial survey, interested participants were offered a follow-up interview. Due to the sensitivity of the topic and changing political landscape, traditional data collection and documentation protocols were reconsidered, as explained below.

Results: Trauma informed research protocols evolved from the time of the initial Internal Review Board application through data collection and analysis. In July 2023, after a Nebraska mother’s Facebook messages facilitating her daughter’s abortion were used in court, data collection paused to consult with the Digital Defense Fund and ultimately led to making an amendment to the Internal Review Board application to de-identify participants and move interviews to Zoom by phone in light of changing realities for legal protection around abortions and online communication. An additional pause in data collection occurred after October 7, 2023, considering that in light of vulnerability with the collective shared trauma in the Jewish Community, trauma informed research would support a pause so that participants could tell their stories at a time that was less communally vulnerable. All identifying information was also removed to ensure anonymity. As part of trauma informed research, the researchers met regularly and were available to debrief after difficult interviews and data analysis. Additionally mental health and reproductive health resources were offered to participants as part of a follow up to the interviews.

Conclusions: These research protocols can begin to provide a framework for conceptualizing current and future scholarship in reproductive justice for social workers in this rapidly changing political climate. Current reproductive justice scholarship is timely in light of the political landscape but needs to be conducted with caution and awareness of legislation and impact on physical as well as emotional safety of participants as well as researchers. Further research can explore trauma-informed care frameworks for conducting reproductive justice scholarship, including abortion care, in light of changing realities of access to abortion in a post-Roe v. Wade context.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2014). Trauma-informed care in behavioral health services. Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series 57. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 13-4801. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. https://library.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/sma14-4816.pdf