Читать книгу 100 Questions (and Answers) About Research Ethics - Emily E. Anderson - Страница 22

Risk is defined as the possibility of something happening that is in some way harmful. Risk has two parts: the magnitude or degree of harm that might occur, and the probability that it will occur.

In research, risks are harms or discomforts that study participants could potentially experience from taking part in the research. As in life, where individuals experience some level of risk every day, participating in research always has risks. In most social and behavioral sciences research, the probability of harm is low, and the magnitude of potential harms is small. Therefore, most social and behavioral sciences research meets the definition of minimal risk research (see Question #13), which may affect certain requirements for institutional review board oversight and informed consent. However, despite the fact that risk is generally low, it is important for all social and behavioral sciences researchers to carefully assess risk in each study, no matter what their discipline, topic, method, or target population.

When thinking about types of risks in research, we often think first of physical harms, such as pain or bruising from having blood drawn or unpleasant side effects from taking an experimental drug. For research in the social and behavioral sciences, physical harm from study participation is usually not a concern. However, researchers in the social and behavioral sciences must think about other types of risks, including potential psychological, economic, legal, social, and dignitary harms. Potential group-level harms should also be considered.

Some harms may occur during the collection of research data. For example, psychological harms are emotional responses such as sadness, anxiety, or embarrassment that may result from sharing information with researchers.

Other types of harms may occur if a research participant’s sensitive personal information is revealed to people outside of the study (see Part 3: Protecting Privacy and Confidentiality). Informational and identity breaches may result in economic, legal, or other social harms. Economic harms include negative effects on employment, such as loss of employment, or on future employability. For example, an employer may develop a negative perception of a participant because of inappropriately disclosed research findings and therefore not hire him or her. Economic harms may also include loss of business or sales, for example, if customers learn from inappropriately disclosed research findings that a business owner previously engaged in illegal behavior.

Legal harms could include arrest, imprisonment, or other legal action such as losing custody of one’s children. For example, mandatory reporting laws require individuals in certain professions, such as teachers and social workers, to report any known child abuse. If research participants disclose to a mandatory reporter during research that they are neglecting their children, researchers are required to report them to the appropriate authorities.

Social harms occur when participants’ relationships with others or their reputations are negatively affected because of the research. For example, if a woman is participating in a research telephone interview and her husband overhears responses to questions about her sexual history, this could damage trust between them.

Research may also include the risk of dignitary harm. This refers to the idea that people can be “wronged” without actually suffering tangible harm. For example, some people may feel violated if their academic records or social media postings are accessed without their permission, even if the information is kept safe and confidential by researchers. Some people might feel offended if a research staff member asks them a personal question, for example, about their income, sexuality, or political views.

In some cases, the publication of research findings—even if individual participant identities are appropriately de-identified—could lead individuals or communities that share characteristics with participants to be viewed negatively by others. For example, a finding that a certain group of people has higher rates of drug use may stigmatize the entire group and result in social harm, even to those individuals who did not participate in the research. These types of group-level risks are important for researchers to keep in mind when planning a research study. Engaging members of the community and asking them how to anticipate and minimize such group-level risks may help in these situations.

More questions? See #12, #23, and #63.