Qualitative Research Article
The research article that I chose for this week is titled: Rape Victim Advocates Experiences with Law Enforcement in the Emergency Room. The main purpose of this study was to explore rape victim advocates perceptions of how survivors are treated in the emergency room by law enforcement (Long, 2018). 23 interviews were conducted with female advocates, allowing them to tell their story. The study found that there is a complex relationship between sexual assault victims and law enforcement with some positive interactions reported along with victim blaming and lack of knowledge as to how sexual assault can negatively affect survivors (Long, 2018).
Qualitative Approach
The author of the article utilized a narrative approach as she conducted in-depth interviews with victim advocates asking them to explain their “narrative” which was their own personal experiences with law enforcement and sexual assault victims in the emergency room. Narrative inquiry helps to utilize individuals’ stories for data that can describe their experiences related to the phenomenon being studied (Patton, 2015). For the results section, the author allowed for quotations from the advocates themselves to be presented. The positive experiences were first presented, and then the negative with examples given for each. It was found that when the author was female and/or the officers were able to connect with the advocate or survivor on a personal level, this led to a more positive experience (Long, 2018). The biggest reason for negative experiences was lack of compassion, their overall demeanor, and victim blaming behaviors (such as not believing the victim) (Long, 2018).
Article Critique
Overall, the study did a great job explaining the narrative of the victim advocates. This leads to much needed information when it comes to the issue of law enforcement and the re-traumatization of sexual assault victims. The author explained the implications as well as limitations at the end which strengthened the study. In the methods section, the author could’ve done a better job at explaining the qualitative approach, as well as the different kinds of questions touched on in the interviews.
References
Long, L. M. (2018). Rape victim advocates experiences with law enforcement in the emergency room. Feminist criminology, 13(5), 498-515.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
