NCJ Number
190018
Date Published
2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This analysis focuses on the ethics of research on children’s exposure to adult domestic assault, based on knowledge developed on the ethical dimensions of research with children and on domestic violence, child abuse, and sensitive issues.
Abstract
The analysis considers ethical dimensions of quantitative and qualitative methodologies and the standards and procedures for ensuring an ethically proper research design and implementation. A guiding principle for the analysis of the general issues and consideration of nearly 100 studies conducted on children’s exposure to domestic violence is that ethical research is an integral part of the research act and of each phase of the research process. Additional principles are that ethical research is a relational undertaking and that ethical research empowers participants of vulnerable and oppressed groups. In addition, ethical research considers children as social actors in their own right, benefits the individual participants, and prevents harm to participants and involved others. Potential harms exist throughout the research process, from sample recruitment to dissemination of findings, and also exist independent of research procedures. The proposed guidelines for ethically sound research rest on the guiding principles and cover the design, recruitment of participants, data collection, data analysis, writing, and information dissemination. 77 references