The ‘What Being the Parent of a New Baby is Like-Revised’ (WPL-R) is an instrument designed to measure adaptation to parenthood. In the process of pilot testing and validating the WPL-R in a postpartum Dutch population, we became aware of the potentially sensitive nature of the measure. Despite the ethics committee waiving the invasive nature of the measure, we conducted a survey to explore its possible effect on women’s thoughts and emotions by using the Positive And Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) (...) to measure changes associated with completion of the WPL-R. Two hundred and fifteen questionnaires were returned. Our findings indicated a change in PANAS scores, implying an intervening effect when using the WPL-R, in research. This raises the question of whether it is acceptable to use a questionnaire with postpartum women without any knowledge of the possible effect it may have, even though the ethics committee has approved the study and considers the measure to be non-invasive. (shrink)

Theoretical debates about the nature of grief and bereavement draw attention to the sensitivity of carrying out research with bereaved people, the possible threats that this may pose and the ethical considerations required to ameliorate potentially damaging outcomes. The authors of this article present a framework for ethical decision-making that has been successfully developed in the context of research with bereaved families. The discussion focuses on application and evaluation of the framework during research with family members who were approached about (...) the donation of a deceased relative’s organs and/or tissues for transplantation. Practical strategies of relevance to the processes of participant recruitment, the interview encounter and follow-up care in the post-interview period are identified and discussed. Concerns about the possible impact of bereavement research are balanced with the views of family members who gave credence to the therapeutic and cathartic benefits of participating in sensitive, death-related research. (shrink)

This article provides an analysis of the issues and ethical challenges faced in a study with LGBTIQ student participants concerning their experiences of violence, harassment and bullying in tertiary settings. The authors detail the ethical challenges behind the development of the project, and around conducting research with a minority and vulnerable population. The article illustrates how the utilization of feminist and queer theory has impacted the process of conducting ethical research, including approaches to recruitment and participant autonomy. The dilemmas of (...) confidentiality within a self-labelled and easily identifiable population are resolved. Further, unexpected challenges and risks to participant safety created through adherence to institutional ethical research frameworks are rectified. Importantly, the authors seek to avoid revictimization of participants and to instead empower students in their responses to violence, harassment and bullying that they may have experienced. The authors point to utilization of theoretical foundations and continual reflexive improvement as elements of best practice for those seeking to research minority populations, and in projects marked by the participation of those deemed vulnerable and high-risk. (shrink)