Final Paper
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Uploaded by laurakuszaj
Running Head: ETHICAL RESEARCH AROUND MISCARRIAGES
1
Final paper:
Ensuring Ethics in a Research Study, Especially Around Touchy Topics like Miscarriage
Laura Kuszaj (1194025)
FRHD*3070 - Final-Final paper
Professor: Ruth Neustifter
Sunday, December 3rd, 2023
Running Head: ETHICAL RESEARCH AROUND MISCARRIAGES
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Introduction:
As we come to the end of this course we get the opportunity to use the knowledge we have
gathered through course content, to gain a deeper understanding of how the article reading,
Coping challenges, strategies for families experiencing miscarriage by a team of writers at
Indiana University(2014) aligns with our course, seminar and homework content. What I
want to focus on for my final paper is the importance of ethical research as well as watching
out for boundaries, trust and consent, between the researcher and their participants.
Especially when it comes to more sensitive and vulnerable topics.
Summary of Media:
For this paper we were able to choose an article that aligns with family studies as well as
sparks the most interest to us. This creative freedom allowed me to pick an article reading
focusing on the comprehensive interviews done with 20 couples who had recently
experienced a miscarriage. In the study, two researchers explored how the couples handled
the difficulties they faced when talking about their loss (Indiana University, 2014). The
reason I picked this article was because I felt that it would be a topic that would give me the
most relatable content to what we have seen so far.
Matched and Contrasted:
There are many pieces of information that we were asked to connect or contrast from
multiple sources to the main article I chose. It's important to highlight that ethical
obligations of researchers is a continuum (Harnett, 2021). Any study needs steps in place to
ensure their ethics. Consent is one of those steps, it ensures that the participants are aware of
what they signed up to do and gives permission to the researcher to go forward with the
study. In Seminar, we touched upon how consent can be given in multiple ways; signed
contract, verbal consent or a voice recorded agreement (Hematabadi, 2023). Listening to
what the participants are saying rather than forcing opinions on them is also important, as
we saw in Draft 1 an article called Decolonizing Methodologies in Qualitative Research, the
researcher working with indigenous refugees needed to understand the power dynamic that
they hold and that even if they come with the intentions of helping, these groups are holding
on to the immense amount of pain and stereotyping (Thaminathen & Kinsella, 2021). Even
though the main participants in my chosen article were different, these groups are both
vulnerable groups so concepts like open dialogue especially when talking with couples who
just experienced a loss is extremely important. All couples described difficult conversations
in which people responded to their miscarriage with insensitive responses or hurtful
comments (Indiana University, 2014). With responses like this it can make the couples feel
less inclined to share their experiences, knowing this it gives the researchers a better idea on
how they should carry themselves in these harder conversations. Carrying yourself
respectfully while conducting research, is needed with any topic, looking at another article
about trauma and violence informed interventions, trauma is a very touchy subject so
research around this topic has a lot to consider as traumatic experience cannot be understood
in a one size fits all manner, just like miscarriage experiences (Nonomura et al, 2020). In
class Dr N spoke about research around Indigenous communities, where you look beyond
Running Head: ETHICAL RESEARCH AROUND MISCARRIAGES
3
the individual but the embodiment with their land and embrace the feelings that their past
ancestors held, making this yet again a different group but still one that can’t be viewed in a
one size fits all manner(Neustifter, 2023). This one size fits all manner of thinking is
viewing these people based off a single story, as seen in seminar, “A single story shows
people as one thing and that's what they become, it creates stereotypes and ropes people of
dignity making it seem like we are more different then similar” (Adichi, 2009). Single
stories can be very harmful to couples who experienced miscarriages as it puts them in a box
and sets up a bias towards how some people view them. Bias can hard-wire a human's brain
making them hard to overcome, yet becoming aware of these biases, within ourselves and
others, is a first step toward counteracting them (Delbosc, 2023). Just like acknowledging
that men, too, suffer when a pregnancy is lost, as a means for changing societal views on the
topic of miscarriage as taboo(Indiana University, 2014). These taboo topics can cause
inattention, meaning there can be shame around their open discussion so helping
normalising more by having these conversations can reduce these biases (Grandey et al,
2023). Boundaries also must be respected, so even though multiple questions were asked to
these couples, a response shouldn't be expected. Boundary crossing should be avoided, to
build a trusting relationship, in one study it was found that there is underlying importance of
patient belief in physicians as trust helps build relationships between physicians and patients
(Wu, 2022). As my chosen study was held as an interview it may be harder to not overstep a
professional boundary. Yet comparing that study to a hypothetical study Dr.N held with
guest lecturer, Blue, where they talked about forming an app to help resolve relationship
conflict (Neustifter, 2023). The results from this app would be collected without much in
person contact, making it easier to get data without overstepping any professional boundary,
as less direct emotion would be exchanged.
Conclusion:
Overall, during this final, I highlighted how ethical research is a continuum and that trust,
boundaries and consent are just some of the ways topics like miscarriages and all the
couples participating can feel heard/respected.
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Running Head: ETHICAL RESEARCH AROUND MISCARRIAGES
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References:
Adichie, C. N. (2009).
The danger of a single story
. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: The
danger of a single story | TED Talk.
https://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_ngozi_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Alexa Delbosc, 2023. "There is no such thing as unbiased research – is there anything
we can do about that?," Transport Reviews, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(2),
pages 155-158, March.
Grandey, A. A., Gabriel, A. S., & King, E. B. (2020). Tackling Taboo Topics: A
Review of the Three Ms in Working Women’s Lives.
Journal of Management
,
46
(1),
7–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206319857144
Harnett J. D. (2021). Research Ethics for Clinical Researchers.
Methods in molecular
biology (Clifton, N.J.)
,
2249
, 53–64. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-0716-1138-8_4
Hematabadi Y. S. S. (2023).
Seminar
-
Consent examples
. Courselink.
https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/848652/viewContent/3602295/View
Indiana University. (2014, October 14). Coping challenges, strategies for families
experiencing miscarriage.
ScienceDaily
. Retrieved November 26, 2023 from
www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/10/141014170632.htm
Neustifter, R. (2023).
Weak 2a class recording
. Courselink.
https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/848652/viewContent/3602295/View
Neustifter, R. (2023).
Week 5 -Ethical Process
. Courselink.
https://courselink.uoguelph.ca/d2l/le/content/848652/viewContent/3602295/View
Thambinathan, V., & Kinsella, E. A. (2021).
Decolonizing Methodologies in
Qualitative Research: Creating Spaces for Transformative Praxis
. Regular article.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/16094069211014766
Wu, Q., Jin, Z., & Wang, P. (2022). The Relationship Between the Physician-Patient
Relationship, Physician Empathy, and Patient Trust.
Journal of general internal
medicine
,
37
(6), 1388–1393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07008-9