Serious social problems among adolescents, including STDs and unintended pregnancy, call for research with adolescent participants in public health clinics. However, research with adolescents, especially young teens, requires scientists to manage four sometimes conflicting interests. First, a primary developmental need for adolescents is autonomy from parents and authority figures, even though their decision-making capabilities are not fully formed. Second, most parents are concerned with protecting their children from the negative outcomes associated with sexual activity. Third, researchers want to conduct ethical research and obtain representative samples for statistical analyses. Fourth, the law tries to codify at least some aspects of the rights of all parties, and attempts to preserve order among conflicting interests. This presentation reviews developmental psychology literature on adolescents' capacity to consent to research in medical settings, as well as the requirements for research with minors from the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) (45 CFR Part 46). It uses case studies from a regional public health STD clinic and a teen health center to illustrate the ethical dilemmas associated with research with minors.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to: 1. List federal regulations and guidelines for research with adolescents. 2. Explain conflicts in developmental psychology literature on adolescent competency to consent to research in a health care setting. 3. Discuss ways to protect adolescents from research risks
Keywords: Ethics, Adolescents
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.