Counseling Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods Second Edition Chapter 2 Ethics in Research Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Learning Objective (1 of 2) 2.1 Understand and define research ethics and research integrity. 2.2 Apply the principles of responsible research conduct to the counseling field. 2.3 Describe problems in past research studies that led to the development of current ethical standards related to the use of human participants. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Learning Objective (2 of 2) 2.4 Explain the various ethical considerations in conducting a research study, from development of a research idea through publication of results. 2.5 Identify the three central components of the Belmont Report and how each applies to research within the field of counseling. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Research Ethics, Integrity, & Responsible Conduct of Research • Ethical codes related to research are included in the ACA ethical guidelines. • Ethical decision making related to research practice includes informed consent, ensuring best treatment for your client, and ensuring client anonymity in research data and future publications or presentations. • Research ethics do not provide specific answers to ethical dilemmas but guide judgments and decisionmaking processes. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Research Ethics & Integrity • Research ethics is defined as the “study or science of right and wrong – of what one ought to do when confronted with conflicting values or obligations” (Steneck, 2003, p 240). age • Research integrity is defined as “a commitment to intellectual honesty and personal responsibility” (Institute of Medicine, 2002) and “adherence to rules, regulations, guidelines, and commonly accepted professional codes or norms” (Office of Research Integrity [ORI], 2003). Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Responsible Conduct of Research • Responsible conduct of research is defined as “conducting research in a manner that fulfills the professional responsibilities of a researcher, as defined by his or her professional organization, the institutions for which they work and when relevant, the government and public” (Steneck, 2006, p 55). age Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Core Areas for Responsible Conduct Research a) Data acquisition, management, sharing, and ownership; b) mentor/trainee relationships; c) Publication practices and responsible authorship; d) Peer review; e) Collaborative science; f) Human subjects; g) Research involving animals; h) Research misconduct; and i) Conflict of interest and commitment. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Impact of Irresponsible Conduct of Research • Engaging in unethical research can lead to client or human participant harm. • It is imperative that all counseling professionals learn and become familiar with the ACA’s ethical codes and other pertinent ethical codes, and engage in research integrity. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Roles & Responsibilities of Researchers in the Counseling Profession • All counselors, including students-in-training, counselor educators, and counseling practitioners, are ethically bound to engage in the responsible conduct of research and following the ethical guidelines of their profession and the setting in which they work • Some counselor researchers admit to not following such guidelines in practice, for example, by not obtaining parental consent when conducting research with a minor (Wester, Willse, & Davis, 2010) Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Researcher Responsibilities (1 of 2) You must consider how subjects are affected by: • The research question(s) you decide to investigate. • The design of your study. • The methodology you select. • The instrumentation you use to collect data. • The possible risks to participants by participating in your research. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Researcher Responsibilities (2 of 2) • Taking steps to minimize those risks. • The actual data collection process. • The presentation of informed consent information. • The data analysis process. • The confidentiality procedures you use to protect information you collect on subjects • How you share the results of your research through discussions, workshops, presentations and publications. • Your decisions to uphold participants’ rights throughout your study. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Evolution of Research Ethics Four studies from the 20th century led to the development of today’s ethical standards to protect human rights: a) the Nazi Medical War Crimes, b) the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, c) the Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital Study, d) the Willowbrook Study (National Institute of Health[NIH], 2002). Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Nazi Medical War Crimes • In World War II, Nazi physicians conducted medical experiments on prisoners in concentration camps to investigate how the human body would react to various extremes. • The majority of these medical experiments resulted in anguish, disease, suffering, and death. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Tuskegee Syphilis Study • The Tuskegee Syphilis Study lasted 40 years and was an experimental study that included approximately 600 black males, the goal of which was to examine the impact of syphilis on humans. • The participants were told they would receive free treatment, however the treatment they obtained had nothing to do with the cure for syphilis. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Jewish Chronic Disease Hospital Study • A study was conducted to examine if the human body could reject cancer cells, and if the inability to fight off cancer was related to debilitation in the body. • Researchers did not inform the subjects that they would be injected with live cancer cells, nor did they provide written documentation about the nature of study to potential subjects. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Willowbrook Study • A study at Willowbrook school examined the effects that the hepatitis virus had on children within a controlled environment. • To be admitted to the school parents would have to consent to have the child injected with the hepatitis virus. • This study raised questions as to the adequacy of informed consent and the freedom of human participants. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Belmont Report • The Belmont Report arose in part from the legal implications resulting from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. • Is considered to be the “cornerstone document of ethical principles and Federal regulations for the protection of research participants based on respect for persons, beneficence, and justice”. (NIH, 2002, p 10). age Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved 3 Principles of the Belmont Report • Respect for persons. Includes 2 standards; first the autonomy of individuals and second protection for those with diminished capacity. • The 1st standard suggests that individuals should be treated as autonomous agents (NIH, 2002), human participants’ opinions, thoughts, and choices should be heard and respected by and never obstructed by a researcher. • Must provide full disclosure regarding study with no consequences for non-participation. Ensure you do not hinder ability to decide to participate in your study. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Beneficence • Beneficence is the principle of “the quality or state of being doing or producing good” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, 2005). • In relation to participants in a research study, the Belmont report indicates that it is the researcher’s responsibility to ensure that the benefits of a study outweigh any risks. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Justice • Justice: Deals with fairness related to the question of who bears the burden of risks and who should receive the benefits in research? • Risks such as participant safety, interference with life, population and sample selection, as well as ensuring that participants receive what they ware promised (e.g., benefits, specific treatment, outcomes) are all elements of the justice principle. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Institutional Review Boards • To assist with ensuring respect, beneficence and justice of human participants, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) was created. • Their task is to weigh the risks versus benefits, determine how the client will be directly impacted, protections in place for possible risks, procedures participants will endure, and the method of informed consent. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Additional Researcher Responsibilities Ethical considerations researchers consider in the process of a study or evaluation include the relationships with study participants; collaboration with sponsors or other agencies; confidentiality of data and data management; and the ethical reporting of research results. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Relationship with Research Participants • Ethical standards exist when working with research participants. • Nonprofessional relationships should be avoided between researcher and participant. • Researchers should not sexually harass research participants. • When a nonprofessional interaction between researcher and participant is unavoidable or could be beneficial, the researcher should document a rationale for the interaction prior to engaging in the nonprofessional interaction. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Collaboration with Sponsors • Assistance from sponsors, including grant agencies, organizations who allow data collection, or administrators who provide resources or access to areas of an organization or client populations should be informed about data collection procedures, changes in methodology and results of the study. • The ACA ethics code states that counselors should inform sponsors and organizations of research procedures and outcomes and ensure appropriate individuals have information regarding the study. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Confidentiality and Data Management • An important aspect of respecting participant rights is to ensure confidentiality in the use of data after it has been collected. • This includes removing all identifying information (e.g., participant names, counseling dates, or other various identifying points of information) from raw data (e.g., paper instruments or assessments, audiotapes of interviews) and electronic databases. • The ACA ethical codes request that researchers determine up front how they will dispose of research documents (2005, G.2.j). This includes destroying all instruments used to collect data by shredding paper copies of instruments, erasing and cutting apart audio or videotapes, or deleting electronic files. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Reporting Results • Reporting results of your study is important not only to the counseling profession, other counseling professionals and clients who seek treatment but leads to evidencebased practices that clients are expected to receive. • Ethical concerns related to reporting results include making sure that published results are accurate, the need to report not only those results that are significant and those that are not significant as well as avoiding plagiarism or reproducing others ideas without proper citation. Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Multicultural Competencies in Counseling Research • Counselor Awareness of Own Cultural Values and Biases (Competency One) • Counselor Awareness of Client’s World View (Competency Two) • Counselor Use of Appropriate Intervention Strategies (Competency Three) Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. All Rights Reserved Copyright Copyright © 2017, 2008 Pearson Education, Inc. 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