Mill J; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 2000 Jul 9-14; 13: abstract no. MoPeE2932.
J. Mill, University of Alberta, 14503 - 98 Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta, T5N 0G9, Canada, Tel.: +1 780 454 9091, Fax: +1 780 492 2551, E-mail: jmill@ualberta.ca
Researchers studying HIV/AIDS in international settings need to understand universal ethical principles and to ensure that they are applied responsively. Contextual responsivity is essential to accommodate differences in language, culture and economic status that exist between the researcher and participants. In 1999 the author completed a qualitative research study in Ghana to examine the experience of HIV positive women, to explore their explanatory model of HIV illness and to elicit participants' thoughts about HIV prevention. Thirty-one HIV positive women, five HIV positive men, eight nurses, ten professionals and two traditional healers were interviewed using in-depth interviews and focus groups. Several questions emerged during this research that demonstrate the need for responsiveness to context in the application of ethical principles. Does the meaning of "coercion" vary between settings? What is implied by the concept of "informed consent"? How is the research influenced by the relationships between the researcher and the participants? In this presentation, the author draws on the research experience and the literature to explore the use of ethical principles in international settings generally and to examine these questions specifically. The author will argue that the application of universal ethical principles in international settings is not static but is, rather, a dynamic process that must be informed by culture. Researchers are obligated to continually reflect on conflicting ethical standards, to consider the influence of relationships with participants and to make explicit the ethical implications of their research.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Behavior
- Female
- Focus Groups
- Ghana
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Informed Consent
- Male
- Nursing Research
- Qualitative Research
- Research
- Research Design
- Research Personnel
- ethics
Other ID:
UI: 102238722
From Meeting Abstracts