Ethical and methodological issues in research with child victims of domestic violence – Mapping the field in Portugal

Abstract

Research with children who are victims of domestic violence necessarily involves careful methodological and ethical consideration. This encompasses an analysis of research planning, procedures and techniques, taking into account study objectives and the unique characteristics of participants. In this chapter we intend to discuss the relevance of methodological and ethical aspects in the studies on violence involving children and how these requirements may affect research validity in this domain. More specifically, what methods to use (quatitative vs quantative), sampling strategies and informants, how to determine risks and benefits for children or how to deal with informed consent. The role of ethics committees in assessing compliance with fundamental ethical assumptions and contributing to ensure the quality of research is also debated. We conclude this chapter with a quick review of methodological options and ethical framework of a set of studies conducted in Portugal on violence involving children and young people (up to 18 years old) in the context of intimate partner violence, among parents or caregivers. Most studies are exploratory in nature and use nonprobability samples. Mainly focused on participant’s perceptions, they lack clear definitions of violence while ethical requirements are insuficiently described and rarely discussed.