Ethical aspects of psychological autopsy

Abstract

Survivors of suicide victims are usually vulnerable to new traumatic experiences. Researchers who have used the method of psychological autopsy, including interviews with survivors, have paid little attention to ethical questions. The purpose of this article is to discuss such issues based on empirical data. Data and experiences from 3 studies of suicide among men (n = 271), women (n = 104) and youth (n = 58) are presented; the last 2 also include telephone follow-up by an independent researcher who measured the reactions of the interviewees to the main interviews. The ethical problems for 3 groups of agents (informants and other relatives, including the deceased; the researcher; and the research) are discussed according to 3 basic ethical principles (nonmaleficence, beneficence and respect for autonomy). Many of the interviewees still had signs of crisis reactions and thus constituted a vulnerable group. Nevertheless, drop-out was infrequent. Nor did we find any interviewee who was hurt by the interview, even if the possibility cannot be excluded in a few cases (less than 4%). Many of the interviewees seem to benefit from the interview. The interviews ought to be done by researchers prepared to meet people in crisis situations. The informants had different opinions on whether letter or telephone was the best method for first contact. Tape-recording was generally accepted. It seems to be possible and advisable to further change the design to better meet the needs of the interviewees, without violating the requirements of the researcher and the research.