Ethical Issues in Schizophrenia Research: A Scoping Review and Qualitative Interview Study

Urfa Khairatun Hisan

doi:10.56741/hesmed.v3i02.598

Authors

Urfa Khairatun Hisan
urfa.hisan@med.uad.ac.id
Universitas Ahmad Dahlan https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4952-3542

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.56741/hesmed.v3i02.598

Keywords:

Bioethics, Ethical Issue, Schizophrenia Research, Research Ethics

Abstract

Schizophrenia is a major research focus due to its complex etiology and treatment challenges. Ethical issues in schizophrenia research include informed consent, decision-making capacity, and the protection of vulnerable populations. Not all schizophrenia patients can provide ethical consent, highlighting the need for careful consideration in research practices. This study examined empirical studies on these ethical domains, identifying significant gaps and offering recommendations. We aimed to synthesize ethical issues from the literature and understand ethics committee members' perspectives through a mixed-methods approach, including a scoping review and qualitative interviews with three ethics committee members. For the review, four major databases were systematically searched for studies related to ethical issues in schizophrenia research. As a result, 35 of 5,222 moderate and high-quality records were included in the scoping review. Eight themes emerged from the scoping review and interview process: informed consent and decision-making capacity; willingness to participate and compensation in research; risk-benefit consideration and perception; therapeutic misconception; participants safeguard; ethical issue in various study designs; research guidelines; and recommendations for the involved parties in schizophrenia research. We conclude that individuals with schizophrenia should actively participate in research decision-making, ensuring dignity and respect.

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Author Biography

Urfa Khairatun Hisan, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan

is a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and a graduate student of the Department Cancer Control and Population Health, National Cancer Center - Graduate School of Cancer Science and Policy, Korea. She received her B.Med. and M.D. degrees from the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia, in 2017 and 2019, respectively. She received her master's degree in Bioethics from the same university in 2023. She has been with the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Indonesia since 2021. Her research interests include public health and bioethics in medicine. She can be contacted at email: urfa.hisan@med.uad.ac.id.

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