Reporting suspected abuse or neglect in research involving children

• Published in: Journal of medical ethics Vol. 44; no. 8; pp. 555 - 559
• Main Authors: Resnik, David B, Randall, Duncan C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BMJ 01.08.2018; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd; BMJ Publishing Group LTD
• Subjects: Biomedical Research - ethics; Child; Child Abuse; Child abuse & neglect; Child abuse reporting; Child custody; Child, Preschool; Consent; Ethical aspects; Ethics; Families & family life; Human subjects; Humans; International agreements; Juvenile delinquency; Mandatory Reporting - ethics; Medical ethics; Nurses; Parental rights; Parents & parenting; Physicians; Reporting; Research ethics; Researchers; Sex crimes; Social science research; Social workers; United States > US; California; ethics; research ethics; research on special populations; children; ethics committees/consultation
• ISSN: 0306-6800; 1473-4257; 1473-4257
• DOI: 10.1136/medethics-2017-104452

In this article, we explore the ethical issues related to the reporting of suspected abuse or neglect in research involving children. Ethical dilemmas related to reporting child maltreatment are often complex because the rights of children and their adult caregivers may conflict and determinations of abuse or neglect are socially constructed judgments that depend on particular circumstances. We argue that when reporting is legally mandated, investigators must follow the law and report their suspicions to Child Protective Services. When reporting is not legally mandated, investigators still have an ethical obligation to report to help prevent additional maltreatment and allow children to obtain access to services needed to recover from abuse or neglect. We also argue that investigators should include plans and procedures in the research protocol for making reports and training research staff in recognising evidence of child abuse or neglect. Although investigators should report evidence of abuse or neglect that is discovered incidentally, they have no mandate to actively search for such evidence when it is not related to the study’s objectives. Investigators should also inform parents and children about their obligations to report suspected abuse or neglect.