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Balancing risks and benefits of deception in assessing genetic screening utilization
D L Thombs1, C A Mahoney, R S Olds
1Department of Adult, Counseling, Health and Vocational Education, Kent State University, OH 44242-0001, USA. dthombs@educ.kent.edu
American Journal of Health Behavior
|April 12, 2001
Summary
Research using intentional deception is sometimes appropriate for advancing knowledge. A study on genetic screening for alcoholism susceptibility found the deception paradigm ethically sound, yielding valuable insights with minimal participant risk.
Area of Science:
- Bioethics
- Psychology
- Genetics
Background:
- Ethical considerations in research are paramount.
- Intentional deception in research presents unique ethical challenges.
- Genetic screening for alcoholism susceptibility raises specific ethical questions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To advocate for the appropriate use of intentional deception in research.
- To evaluate the ethical defensibility of a deception paradigm for genetic screening research.
- To assess the utility of such research in understanding future screening utilization.
Main Methods:
- Review of a deception paradigm designed to assess genetic screening utilization for alcoholism.
- Analysis within the framework of competing ethical obligations and objections.
- Evaluation of participant risk associated with the deception procedure.
Main Results:
- The deception paradigm is ethically defensible.
- The research generates useful knowledge regarding the future utilization of alcoholism screening.
- Participants in the study were exposed to no more than minimal risk.
Conclusions:
- Intentional deception can be an appropriate research method under certain ethical conditions.
- Balancing participant protection with the advancement of knowledge is crucial when using deception in predictive genetic screening research.
- This study supports the ethical viability of deception in exploring attitudes towards genetic screening.
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