Ethical Issues in Couple and Family Research.

Abstract

Federal regulations, ethical standards, and state laws governing ethics do not adequately address important issues in couple and family research. Including multiple family members, particularly dependent minors, in research requires the special application of fundamental ethical issues, such as confidentiality, privacy, and informed consent. The sensitive, commingled nature of couple and family information necessitates clear policies about data ownership and disclosure. Researchers need to have respect for the family as a unit and to evaluate benefits versus harms for the family as well as for individuals. This article highlights areas of potential concern and ambiguity related to abuse reporting and Certificates of Confidentiality and also addresses ethical issues with observational data, intervention studies, longitudinal designs, and computer-assisted research.

Parents' Aggressive Influences and Children's Aggressive Problem Solutions With Peers

“…Families were compensated $100. In line with consent procedures that Margolin et al (2005) recommend, the three family members jointly were involved in the consent procedures and in the decision to participate. Each family member was in a separate room to complete an individual battery of computerized and paper and pencil assessment measures.…”

My Auto/Ethnographic Dilemma: Who Owns the Story?

“…In autoethnography my experience-reactions, observations, biography, and emotions-are data. In this way, my story, which arguably I should own, is "co-mingled data"; thus telling my story inherently means sharing someone else's story (Blee and Vining 2010;Margolin et al 2005). This problem of co-mingled data, situations in which "information about consenting individuals is inextricably bound to information about another" (Blee and Vining 2010, p. 55), and consequently, consent, have been particularly salient in gathering data for Pray the Gay Away.…”

Encountering ethics in studying challenging family relations

“…This also means that scholars interested in family life need to broaden their understanding of the ethical aspects of their research and evaluate the effects of participation on the family as a whole as well as on individual family members -both participants and non-participants (Margolin et al, 2005).…”

“…Researchers should pay attention to practical matters such as whether to interview individuals in their own homes where the possible presence of other family members might risk and challenge confidentiality and anonymity. When dealing with sensitive issues such as domestic violence, substance abuse or child maltreatment researchers may face situations in which they are ethically and/or officially obliged to intervene (Gorin et al, 2008;Margolin et al, 2005). According to the World Health Organization (WHO) ethical and safety recommendations for domestic violence research, the safety of respondents and the research team is paramount, and should infuse all project decisions.…”

“…However, reaching these multiple voices and realities also raised both methodological and ethical considerations. Studying several family members from the same families relates to the question of confidentiality (Margolin et al, 2005). During the research process participants may share information that is considered private and something not to be shared with another family member.…”