21–23 May 2025: SERENA at the QRMH10 Conference

SERENA participated in the 10th Qualitative Research in Mental Health Conference (QRMH10), held in Budapest, Hungary from 21 to 23 May 2025.

During the conference, SERENA partners presented research on participatory approaches with survivors of child maltreatment, with a particular focus on identity, ethics, and the role of qualitative research in supporting healing processes.

Contributions from SERENA partners

• Maria Roth from Babes-Bolyai University (UBB) delivered an oral presentation entitled “Preferred modes of self-identification of participants with child maltreatment experiences.”

  This presentation explored how individuals with lived experience of child maltreatment identify themselves as “victims” and/or “survivors,” highlighting the fluidity of these identities over time. It also addressed the importance of participatory research approaches, as well as the ethical and methodological challenges involved in engaging vulnerable populations in research.

• Katerina Kyriakou from Institute of Child Health (ICH), in collaboration with international partners, presented an oral communication entitled “Narratives of Healing: Ethical and Therapeutic Considerations in Research with Survivors of Child Maltreatment.”

  This contribution focused on the ethical and therapeutic dimensions of qualitative research with survivors. It highlighted the role of narrative and participatory methods in supporting meaning-making and healing, while also addressing key ethical considerations such as consent, emotional safety, and the responsibility of researchers working with sensitive experiences.

Impact and outcomes

Participation in QRMH10 strengthened SERENA’s engagement with the international research community in mental health and child protection.

By engaging with leading experts in qualitative mental health research, SERENA continues to advance knowledge on how to better involve survivors in research and improve responses to child maltreatment across Europe.