Research Proposal

THE TOPIC FOR THE MAIN FINAL RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Topic for the Main Final Research Proposal

Theophilus k. Ashrifie

University of Arizona Global Campus

PSY 635 Research Design and Methods

Instructor: Kristopher Bradley

August 7th 2021

The selected issue is the ethical problems in the mental health research with minor adolescents. The authors of this study adopted the Delphi study to explore the implications of ethical requirements framed by the researchers in the global pre-conference who benefits from the ethical support and guidance in the performance of the manual health research with the minors. According to the author, the present state of ethical guidance concerning the Mental Health Research (MHR) with children and the adolescent appears to be complex (Hiriscau et al., 2016). The ethically justifiable research especially on the Mental Health with children as well as the adolescent is based on the goal of reducing the burden that mental disorder is putting on the younger individuals, their families, and the entire society.

The World Health Organization is supporting the idea of Mental Health Research to help in the early detection of the growth in risk-taking actions among teenagers. The method adopted by the authors (Delphi study) made it easier to augment the thematic spectrum through an extension of the preliminary list of the six requirements of a List of Ethical Issues (LEI) of 25 points that are consented by the professionals such as mental health researchers. This is an indication that there is substantial sensibilization that was caused by the individuals involved. The research also reveals that minors are ethically conditional due to the vulnerable nature of this population. Therefore, the exploration of the ethical challenges, interpretation, and the application of ethical protection in mental health research is important. The development of LEI is based on the idea that it recognizes the competencies and supporting the rights of the minors to take part in the decision-making process as well as promoting their ability to make autonomous decisions (Hiriscau et al., 2016). It, therefore, encourages the researchers to adjust the practice of mental health research and use the LEI as a tool for the identification of problems that needs focus.

Another study by Salamanca-Buentello et al. (2020) adopted a three-round Delphi survey, a structured and systemized the procedure of the consensus-building that utilizes reiterative feedback to help in the collection and distilling of the awareness from the interdisciplinary panel of experts who remain unidentified to one another. According to this study, one in every five children and adolescents are diagnosed with mental health disorder, therefore, it is important to ensure that there is successful detection of these conditions using apt and precise screening process. Nevertheless, these screening approaches have considerable challenges associated with ethic, social, and culture. The outcome of this study confirmed the need to have mental health screening for children and adolescents. It is important to have acceptance and support for the screening before the initiation of the program (Salamanca-Buentello et al., 2020). It is also important to have careful and comprehensive protection of rights, the integration of the screening, and careful as well as comprehensive protection of the human rights, integrating the screening procedures into primary care, and development and implementation of the culturally appropriate screening tools.

Other studies have adopted the review method in determining the ethical issues surrounding the mental clinical working with adolescents. Sussman and Dejong (2018) adopted the review approach to show how core ethical principles can be applied to the clinical circumstances with the clients through the use of vignettes for illustration. The study reveals the expansion of technology in the provision of mental healthcare services. The use of technology has negative effects on youth mental health since there is an increase in the incidence of depression as a result of technology use (Sussman & Dejong, 2018). It is an ethical responsibility for the physician to promote education and advocacy to help in exploring the technology use amongst teen clients and to be more sensitive to the ethical concerns that are likely to clinical occur for example confidentiality, autonomy, beneficence or maleficence, and the legal considerations like the mandated report.

References

Hiriscau, E. I., Stingelin-Giles, N., Wasserman, D., & Reiter-Theil, S. (2016). Identifying Ethical Issues in Mental Health Research with Minors Adolescents: Results of a Delphi Study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 13, 489. doi:10.3390/ijerph13050489

Salamanca-Buentello, F., Seeman, M. V., Daar, A. S., & Upshur, R. E. (2020). The ethical, social, and cultural dimensions of screening for mental health in children and adolescents of the developing world. PloS one, 15(8), e0237853. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.phone.0237853

Sussman, N., & Dejong, S. M. (2018). Ethical Considerations for Mental Health Clinicians Working with Adolescents in the Digital Age. The Current Psychiatry Republic, 20(12), 113. doi:10.1007/s11920-018-0974-z