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Children in Social Research: Do Higher Payments Encourage Participation in Riskier Studies?

Stephanie Taplin1, Jenny Chalmers2, Bianca Hoban1

  • 11 Australian Catholic University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics : JERHRE
|February 9, 2019
PubMed

Insights

In the MESSI study, payments increased participation of children in social research. Higher payments correlated with higher participation, with no evidence of undue influence, but risk levels should guide payment decisions.

Area of Science:

  • Social Sciences
  • Research Ethics
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Ethical considerations are paramount when involving children and young people in research.
  • Understanding factors influencing participation is crucial for recruitment and ethical conduct.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of payment amounts on the participation of Australian children and young people in social research of varying sensitivity.
  • To assess whether financial incentives constitute undue influence on participation decisions.

Main Methods:

  • The study, MESSI (Managing Ethical Studies on Sensitive Issues), utilized hypothetical scenarios presented through online surveys.
  • Participants were presented with different payment levels (no payment, prize draw, $30, $100, $200) for hypothetical research tasks of varying sensitivity.

Main Results:

  • Children and young people were more likely to participate in lower sensitivity research across all payment levels.
  • Offering payments significantly increased the likelihood of participation, with higher payments generally leading to higher participation rates.
  • No evidence of undue influence was found, suggesting payments can ethically enhance recruitment.

Conclusions:

  • Financial incentives can effectively increase participation rates among children and young people in social research.
  • Ethical research practices can incorporate payments without undue influence, provided the level of risk is the primary consideration.
  • Payment levels should be carefully calibrated based on the sensitivity and potential risks associated with the research.

Keywords:
and burdens of researchbeneficence and nonmaleficencebenefitschild assentchildren and adolescentcoerciondecision-making capacityinclusionjusticeparental consentparticipant selectionpayment for research participationpediatricsrecruitmentresearch ethicsriskssurrogate decision makersvignette studiesvoluntariness

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