Problem: Identify and explain the main ethical challenges faced by Iverem. Need Assignment Help?
While Iverem's research does not involve minor participants per se, it still faces multiple ethical challenges related to the nature of the social problem being investigated in her study.
First, Iverem's research poses a risk of retraumatization to the participants. Retraumatization is when recalling the details of a past traumatic experience triggers feelings of past trauma, with potential ensuing psychological harm (Bazzi et al., 2025). This may include the re-emergence of psychological symtoms related to trauma, PTSD, depression, or feelings of self-harm. Iverem may overcome this ethical challenge by adopting a trauma-informed approach, where the incorporation of knowledge about trauma may actively help prevent retraumatization. The principles of trauma-informed approaches include safety, trustworthiness, transparency, and collaboration. In practice, this may translate to using language that is inclusive and non-stigmatizing, being sensitive to social location and cultural norms, taking breaks when needed by the researcher or the participant, performing frequent mood checks, as well as paying attention to the researcher's own wellbeing (Bazzi et al., 2025).
Second, Iverem's research faces potential cultural sensitivity ethical issues. Research has shown that studies lacking cultural sensitivity can have detrimental effects on the quality of care, with an overall underachievement of the intended health objectives (Davies et al., 2024). Cultural sensitivity necessitates a deep understanding of different cultural dynamics and perspectives, such as a population's beliefs, values, and cultural norms. These factors must be integrated into the study's design, implementation, and results' interpretation. Following this principled framework helps ensure ethical treatment, building trust, communicating effectively, and an overall increased validity and applicability of a study's finidngs (Davies et al., 2024).
Finally, a third challenge faced by Iverem is confidentiality. Confidentiality protects participants' personal health information - a crucial requirement for building trust (CDC, 2025). Iverem must use safeguards like de-identification and redaction of potentially identifiable information, informed consent, data security, and following appropriate regulatory and legal frameworks like the HIPAA.
Analyze the role of the IRB in providing guidance to students for overcoming ethical challenges.
The IRB provides - through a 4-step process - guidance to students in overcoming ethical challenges through the provision of a holistic and complete overview of all the requirements that a student's research must hold to be considered ethically appropriate. The IRB analyzes a student's intended research purpose and outcomes, and then informs the student of all the requirements that need to be fulfilled as well as any organizational approvals that need to be obtained prior to the commencement of data collection (Harris, n.d.).
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