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The human subjects protection process: a subjective view.

Article Excerpt
Currently, I am preparing to conduct a longitudinal study in another country to prospectively identify factors that may place pre-adolescents and adolescents at higher or lower risk of drug involvement. One of the concerns my colleagues and I share is whether to inform parents if a youth participant is consuming substances, particularly if a parent asks. If this were a study of risk factors associated with the incidence of cancer, we would not hesitate to inform the parent about a diagnosis. However, for now, we have resolved that we will not share any information with the parent because this would violate confidentiality, the exception being if the child and/or parent reports the child has experienced physical or sexual abuse, and this is clearly communicated to the participants in the consent process. We have promised protection of confidentiality to adolescent participants so that we may obtain more reliable and valid information.

Confidentiality is one of many areas of concern that researchers like me constantly negotiate as we make inquiries about social phenomena. The process of protecting the rights and welfare of human research subjects recruited to participate in research activities is fraught with complexities and dilemmas. I have served as a member of the institutional review board ORB) at two universities, altogether serving for more than seven years in this capacity. I have...

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