Managing ethical considerations in research on sensitive topics / Pranee Liamputtong.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Liamputtong, Pranee, 1955- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Research--Moral and ethical aspects.

Research.

Participant observation--Moral and ethical aspects.

Participant observation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

London : SAGE Publications Ltd, 2026.

Summary:

Research on sensitive topics has become increasingly central across social science, public health, psychology, and interdisciplinary fields. Such topics encompass deeply personal, emotionally charged, socially contested, or politically delicate aspects of human experience. They include trauma and violence, sexual and reproductive health, stigma, addiction, mental illness, migration precarity, poverty, discrimination, and structural inequality. Investigating these issues is essential for understanding marginalized populations, revealing injustices, and informing policies that promote ethical and equitable social responses. Yet, the nature of sensitive topics introduces significant ethical complexities. Conducting research in these areas requires more than compliance with formal ethical protocols. Instead, it calls for a continuous, reflexive, and contextually grounded practice that attends to power dynamics, participant vulnerability, representation, and the broader sociopolitical conditions shaping people’s lives. Ethical considerations thus extend beyond procedural requirements; they are embedded within the epistemological foundations of socially responsible research. Engaging with sensitive issues enables researchers to illuminate forms of inequality, marginalization, and lived realities that are often hidden due to stigma, shame, structural violence, or political repression. By bringing these experiences to light, sensitive research can influence policy reform, shape public debate, and contribute to more responsive and compassionate social and health services. However, the very factors that make such research vital also make it ethically demanding. This paper examines key ethical challenges associated with researching sensitive topics and outlines strategies for managing them effectively. Drawing on contemporary qualitative methodologies, participatory approaches, and recent developments in research ethics, it highlights how researchers can cultivate practices that are respectful, safe, and socially accountable.

Notes:

Description based on XML content.

ISBN:

9781036252137

OCLC:

1594889548

Publisher Number:

T302863