Doing More Good than Harm The Effects of Particip

Authors: Lisette Kuyper John de Wit Philippe Adam Liesbeth Woertman

Publish Date: 2011/06/17

Volume: 41, Issue: 2, Pages: 497-506

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Abstract

Ethical guidelines for research with human participants stress the importance of minimizing risks and maximizing benefits In order to assist Institutional Review Boards IRBs and researchers to make more informed risk/benefit analyses with regard to sex research among adolescents the current study examined the effects of participation in sex research among 899 young people 15–25 years old Participants completed three questionnaires on a wide range of sexualityrelated measures They also completed scales measuring their levels of distress need for help and positive feelings due to their research participation In general negative effects of research participation seemed limited while benefits of participation appeared substantial Several differences with regard to sociodemographic characteristics were found eg females experienced more distress then males and younger or lower educated participants experienced more positive feelings In addition victims of sexual coercion reported more distress and need for help due to their participation but also experienced more positive feelings No significant differences were found in relation to experience with sexual risk behaviors eg experience with onenightstands Several limitations of the study were discussed as were implications for future research Overall the findings caution IRBs and researchers against being overly protective regarding the inclusion of young people in sex researchThe data used in the current study were collected as part of a study on sexual coercion among young people which was funded by ZonMw The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development Grant number 124260002 We would like to thank Mirre Hubers of ZonMw for reminding us of the importance of addressing the effects of research participation of young people

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