title: Reactions to participating in dating violence research: are our questions distressing participants?
abstract: In recent years, there has been increased research focus on dating violence, producing important information for reducing these violent relationships. Yet Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) are often hesitant to approve research on dating violence, citing emotional distress of participants as a possible risk of participation. However, no known research has examined the reactions of research participants to questions about dating violence. The current study examined the reactions among college students to completing a self-report measure on dating violence. Results showed that participants reported numerous positive experiences as a result of their research participation, with only mildly increased negative emotional reactions evident for some. Findings are discussed in relation to IRB proposals and appropriate informed consent for research participants.
authors.affiliation: University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA. rshorey@utk.edu
authors.forename: Ryan C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Shorey
authors.forename: Tara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Cornelius
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003380:Courtship; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D028744:Ethics Committees, Research; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000458:organization & administration*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014342:Truth Disclosure; D055815:Young Adult