Research involving children:: Some ethical issues

In a Norwegian study on how children aged 7-12 years cope during a period of serious illness within the family and on their quality of life at this time, several ethical questions became apparent. These were mainly concerned with the vulnerability of children during research, with their ability to make autonomous decisions, and with considerations regarding how to respect their right to confidentiality during the research process. In this article we approach these questions using our experience from this previous study, discussing them within the framework of theories of ethics and relevant research ethical guidelines. Finally, we discuss our experience in the light of the overall purpose of this article: how to deal with the ethical dilemmas that may appear during research involving young children.