Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research

Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research

Abstract

Qualitative research refers to research focusing on the collection and analysis of non-statistical data to comprehend opinions, experiences, or concepts. It is often viewed as an interpretative strategy aimed at gaining insight into specific behaviors and meanings experienced in a specific phenomenon using the participant’s subjective experiences. The researcher develops concepts, abstracts, theories, or hypotheses by asking questions such as in what way and how. This study reviews the ethical issues and considerations that qualitative researchers encounter. The study also provides an overview of a research proposal, including research questions, semi-structured interview questions, study participants, and the ethical challenges that may be encountered in the research.

Ethical issues in qualitative research

There are various ethical issues and considerations in qualitative research. One of the main issues is informed consent and voluntary participation. According to Oswaldo (2021), failure to get informed consent and voluntary participation from study participants could cause the research to be rejected because it would imply that participants were forced to participate in the study. It is, therefore, important for researchers to get informed consent from study participants and ensure that the participants understand what they are required to do. The participants also need to be allowed to decide whether to decline to participate in a study or participate (Arifin, 2018). They also need to be informed that they have a right to withdraw from the research any time after signing the informed consent. It is also important to ensure that the study participants do not feel as if they may ruin the study by withdrawing.

The second ethical issue is confidentiality. In research, researchers ought to ensure that they maintain the confidentiality of their study participants by not concealing their identities. It is important to guarantee that identifying individual responses and information will not be shared with anyone who is not part of the study. In most cases, ethical issues relating to confidentiality revolve around deductive disclosures (Bertell, 2017). This usually occurs when a group’s or individual’s traits reveal their identity. For instance, if a researcher is conducting research in a specific mental institution or hospital and mentions the name of the mental institution or hospital, an individual who knows about the hospital or institution and has interacted with the individuals who are part of the study participants may identify them based on traits such as gender, age, and the amount of time they have spent in the hospital or mental institution. Arifin (2018) argues that confidentiality issues relating to deductive disclosure, therefore, make it hard for qualitative researchers to decide whether to offer accurate, detailed accounts of the study environment and study participants.

The third ethical issue occurs in the gathering and analysis of data. Qualitative research focuses on narratives and interviews to gather data hence placing the researcher as the link between the participant’s experiences and the audience of the research (Oswaldo, 2021). In some instances, the researcher may misinterpret the comments provided by respondents, thus creating unforeseen personal issues between the researcher and the study participants. The issues could then result in serious emotional issues, especially when the misinterpretation portrays a negative image of the study participant. There is additionally a high possibility of being exposed to vicarious trauma during interviews, especially if the questions remind the interviewees of negative experiences that they have not yet gotten over (Bertell, 2017). Avoiding such instances requires the researcher to schedule the interviews properly to offer the researcher enough time to reduce the risk of being emotionally exhausted while also creating enough time to analyze the research objectives and other emotional facets of the research.

Research proposal

The psychology field is a wide field that incorporates different research areas that a qualitative researcher can focus on. My proposed qualitative project will focus on the impact of untreated childhood trauma on social interaction. The research topic will be explored by focusing on specific research questions that will be answered using semi-structured interviews. The research questions will also be used to develop the hypothesis of the study, ensuring that all research questions are addressed in the hypothesis. The main research questions will be.

• What are the main behaviors exhibited by individuals who have experienced childhood trauma?
• How does childhood trauma interfere with behavioral adaptations during social interactions?

As mentioned before, the research questions will be addressed by asking some specific interviews presented in semi-structured interview questions. The main interview questions will be as outlined below.

• Do memories of your childhood trauma affect the way you behave around people in a social setting? If yes, how?
• What are some of the emotions you exhibit during social interactions?

Target Population and the ethical challenge I might expect to encounter when completing the project

The target population for this study will include 15 individuals who are victims of childhood trauma and are currently undergoing psychological care to enable them to engage in social interactions and 15 individuals who have experienced childhood trauma and have already completed their psychological care sessions to enable them to participate in social interactions. The demographics of the study participants will include both male and female participants, are limited between 25 and 45 years old and have studied up to at least a university because higher education levels demand more social interactions, particularly in colleges and universities. Including the two sets of study, participants will help in elaborating how untreated childhood trauma affects social interactions and how psychological treatment enables them to participate in social interactions.

One of the ethical challenges that I might expect to encounter to encounter when completing the project is protecting my study participants from emotional trauma. Discussing negative past experiences with my study participants may result in unforeseen emotional trauma (Oswaldo, 2021). I must, therefore, remain key and note key changes in the participants’ emotional state to ensure that they are not distressed. I additionally need to stay prepared for any emotional issues that study participants may develop by conducting a therapeutic debriefing for the participants exhibiting emotional changes.

The second ethical challenge is deception arising from deductive disclosure. I will be required to tell my study participants the important details about the experiment that may have an impact on their behaviors or responses in the study. This may, however, affect the findings of the study (Oswaldo, 2021). For instance, if participants have already undergone psychological treatment to manage social interactions now that I want to prove that undergoing psychological care for childhood trauma enables victims to engage in social interactions, they may behave as though the psychological care worked for them if it did not. I will, therefore, require that I debrief the researcher before the study and only select study participants who are willing to offer true information without falsifying their actions and behavior. I will also ensure that study participants are prohibited from offering false information and exhibiting false behavior and that this requirement is clearly outlined in the consent form.

References

Arifin, S. (2018). Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Study. International Journal of Care Scholars, 1(2).

Bertell, I. (2017). Ethical considerations in qualitative research: A study on learning processes in relation to developing psychoanalysis for infants and parents. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781473979710

Oswaldo, L. (2021). Ethical principles and challenges for qualitative researchers. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-70187-1_1

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Ethical Issues in Qualitative Research

For this first assignment, construct a 5-7 page paper that:

a) details the ethical considerations in embarking upon a qualitative research project;

b) proposes a qualitative project via two well-written research questions (RQ) and 2-3 semi-structured interview questions for each (RQ);

c) Identify the target populations and any ethical challenges you might expect to encounter when completing such a project.

Your paper should utilize sound critical thought, liberally refer to and cite course materials, and be written in APA format (to include a title page, abstract, properly formatted in-text citations and a reference page). Any research topic is acceptable as long as it has an application to psychology and allows you to demonstrate your learning of qualitative research principles taught thus far in the course.