Addressing ethical issues in suicide research in Ghana
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Date
2015-04-17
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Publisher
University of Ghana
Abstract
Suicide is a sensitive issue around the globe and research in the area in
Ghana has exuded certain ethical challenges confronting researchers
on the topic. These ethical issues bother on the moral dilemmas faced
by the researchers while conducting qualitative interviews among
suicide attempters and lay persons as well as the beneficial effects of
conducting such interviews. We argue that researchers doing suicide
studies in developing countries should continue to emphasize to
informants their role as 'researchers' and not therapists. However,
perhaps in LAMIC countries with limited mental health resources,
researchers can reasonably double as a helper and researcher. Such
dualistic role should not be viewed as a breach of standard ethical
protocol, but rather, perhaps as a dynamic artifact of doing 'culturally
sensitive' research.
Description
School of social sciences colloquium
Keywords
Suicide, LAMIC, researchers, developing countries