Benefits of participating in research interviews.

Interviews are a fundamental data collection method used in qualitative health research to help understand people's responses to illness or a particular situation. The risks associated with participating in 1 or 2 hour research interviews when a study focuses on vulnerable populations and sensitive issues are scrutinized by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) and Human Subjects Committees. This paper shifts attention away from the risks to the benefits and describes catharsis, self-acknowledgement, sense of purpose, self-awareness, empowerment, healing, and providing a voice for the disenfranchised as the sometimes unanticipated benefits reported by interview participants.