Flicker Sarah, Guta Adrian
Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
J Adolesc Health. 2008 Jan;42(1):3-10. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2007.07.017. Epub 2007 Dec 3.
In this paper we make the case for the importance of adolescent sexual health research, and argue that requiring parental consent for adolescent participation may (a) be unwarranted, (b) be inconsistent with the principles of justice and inclusiveness, (c) be confusing, and (d) serve to silence young people who most need to have a voice in sexual health research.
Through a case study of the Toronto Teen Survey, we offer concrete suggestions and alternatives for protecting adolescent health research participants in community-based settings and promoting ethical research approaches.
Strategies suggested include: (1) adopting a community-based participatory research approach, (2) careful attention to youth-friendly protocols and consent procedures, (3) proper training of all research staff and peer researchers, (4) partnering with experienced community based youth-serving agencies, (5) paying maximum attention to issues of confidentiality and anonymity, and (6) valuing participation appropriately.
Institutional review boards and researchers should be encouraged to adopt localized context-dependent strategies that attend to the unique vulnerabilities of their particular study populations. Attention to flexibility, vulnerability, and community-specific needs is necessary to ensure appropriate ethical research practices that attend to the health and well-being of young people.
在本文中，我们阐述了青少年性健康研究的重要性，并认为要求父母同意青少年参与研究可能（a）毫无根据，（b）不符合公正和包容的原则，（c）令人困惑，以及（d）会使那些在性健康研究中最需要发声的年轻人保持沉默。
通过对多伦多青少年调查的案例研究，我们为在社区环境中保护青少年健康研究参与者以及推广符合伦理的研究方法提供了具体建议和替代方案。
建议的策略包括：（1）采用基于社区的参与式研究方法，（2）密切关注对青少年友好的方案和同意程序，（3）对所有研究人员和同伴研究人员进行适当培训，（4）与经验丰富的社区青少年服务机构合作，（5）高度重视保密和匿名问题，以及（6）适当地重视参与。
应鼓励机构审查委员会和研究人员采用因地制宜的策略，关注其特定研究人群的独特脆弱性。关注灵活性、脆弱性和社区特定需求对于确保符合伦理的研究实践以关注年轻人的健康和福祉是必要的。
