Ethical considerations for psychologists in the time of Covid-19

Bibliographic Data

ID8716634
AuthorsTiffany Chenneville (0000-0001-5598-9387, corresponding author), Rebecca A Schwartz‐Mette (0000-0002-6708-0389)
Year2020
Volume75
Issue5
Pages644-654
Publication date2020-05-21
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Psychologist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0003-066X • E-ISSN: 1935-990X
PublisherAmerican Psychological Association (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1037/amp0000661
PMID32437180
OpenAlexW3026543080
LanguageEN
Citations received12

Psychologists are in a position to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic through research, practice, education, and advocacy. However, concerns exist about the ethical implications associated with transitioning from face-to-face to online or virtual formats as necessitated by stay-at-home orders designed to enforce the social distancing required to flatten the curve of new COVID-19 cases. The purpose of this article is to review potential ethical issues and to provide guidance to psychologists for ethical conduct in the midst of the current crisis and its aftermath. In addition to contextualizing relevant ethical considerations according to the principles and standards of the current American Psychological Association's ethics code, vignettes are presented to exemplify the ethical dilemmas psychologists in various roles may face when responding to COVID-19 and to offer suggestions and resources for resolving potential conflicts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

2019-20 coronavirus outbreak · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Distancing · Engineering ethics · Ethical code · Face (sociological concept · MEDLINE · Pandemic · Political science · PsycINFO · Public relations · Social distance · Social science · Sociology · COVID-19 and Mental Health · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Medicine · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Law · Social Psychology