NCJ Number
223178
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2004 Pages: 603-618
Date Published
May 2004
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This article provides a number of practical strategies and protocols that have been used successfully when gathering sensitive information from and about women with abusive partners.
Abstract
The increased interest in conducting research on domestic violence demands increased vigilance on the part of researchers and evaluators to adequately consider and respond to a number of ethical considerations related to survivors’ safety and well-being. It is imperative that protocols be developed to minimize the risk of women being victimized for participating in research. The strategies offered in this article are meant as guidelines that have been found to be helpful in the work of researchers and that can be modified as needed to other studies. These guidelines come as a result of an independent but complementary work in the movement to end violence against women. The article builds on earlier work and provides broad guidelines as well as specific suggestions for protecting battered women’s safety when involving them in the research process. It then presents ethical issues related to maintaining confidentiality, followed by a brief discussion of related ethical issues, including choosing research topics and interpreting findings. Table, notes, references