To Report or Not to Report
The Ethical Complexity Facing Researchers When Responding to Disclosures of Harm or Illegal Activities During Fieldwork with Adults with Intellectual Disabilities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12901859 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Francesca Ribenfors (0000-0002-5012-4816, Manchester Metropolitan University, corresponding author), Lauren Blood (0000-0002-0609-5237) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 175-190 |
| Publication date | 2022-11-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Ethics and Social Welfare (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1749-6535 • E-ISSN: 1749-6543 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17496535.2022.2149831 |
| OpenAlex | W4310260823 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 48 |
This article draws attention to the ethical complexity researchers may be confronted with during fieldwork should an adult participant with intellectual disabilities disclose that harm or an illegal activity is occurring or has occurred in the past. The need to gain ethical approval and the positioning of people with intellectual disabilities as vulnerable within ethics review procedures can result in the adoption of paternalistic approaches as researchers are encouraged to break confidentiality to report concerns to other professionals. Whilst this may fulfil a researcher’s duty to ensure no harm occurs to participants, if it takes place against the participant’s wishes it may also violate participant autonomy, reinforce unequal relations of power, and may unwittingly contribute to subsequent harm occurring. Whilst the article begins from our experience as two UK-based researchers working with people with intellectual disabilities, it draws on existing literature and guidelines to expose the ethical tensions which may be encountered. It is intended that the paper acts as a starting point for researchers wishing to reflect on their practice and ethical decision-making, whilst contributing to wider debates on the position of people with intellectual disabilities within society
Autonomy · Confidentiality · Criminology · Duty · Duty to protect · Engineering ethics · Harm · Intellectual disability · Paternalism · Political science · Power (physics · Psychiatry · Public relations · Research ethics · Sociology · Disability Rights and Representation · Healthcare innovation and challenges · Law · Psychology · Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics · Social Psychology
A Critical Reflexive Approach to Sex Research
Research Ethics for Social Scientists
Research participants telling the truth about their lives
Making the future together
Principles for ethical research involving humans
The contested concept of vulnerability – a literature review
Youth and disability
Vulnerability’
Should we Maintain or Break Confidentiality? The Choices Made by Social Researchers in the Context of Law Violation and Harm
You Can’t be Cold and Scientific”
Reflexivity in Practice
The sexual abuse of people with learning difficulties
Evaluating self‐determination
The Management of Confidentiality and Anonymity in Social Research
Accessing a hard to reach population
Recruitment and consent of adults with intellectual disabilities in a classic grounded theory research study
Public Research, Private Concerns
Independence or protection – does it have to be a choice? Reflections on the abuse of people with learning disabilities in Cornwall
What’s the Harm? The Coverage of Ethics and Harm Avoidance in Research Methods Textbooks
Insider or outsider, both or neither
Changing the Social Relations of Research Production
Parasites, Pawns and Partners
Ethics, "Vulnerability," and Feminist Participatory Action Research With a Disability Community
Informed Consent and the Research Process
Ethics, Reflexivity, and "Ethically Important Moments" in Research
Disability and Other Human Questions
New Feminist Approaches to Social Science Methodologies
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |