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. 2016 Jun 28;11(6):e0157042.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0157042. eCollection 2016.

Ethics in Community-Based Research with Vulnerable Children: Perspectives from Rwanda

Theresa Betancourt  1 , Mary C Smith Fawzi  2 , Anne Stevenson  1 , Fredrick Kanyanganzi  3 , Catherine Kirk  1 , Lauren Ng  1 , Christina Mushashi  3 , Justin I Bizimana  4 , William Beardslee  5 , Giuseppe Raviola  2   6 , Stephanie Smith  2   6 , Yvonne Kayiteshonga  4   7   8 , Agnes Binagwaho  2   4   9   7
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Ethics in Community-Based Research with Vulnerable Children: Perspectives from Rwanda

Theresa Betancourt et al. PLoS One. .

Erratum in

Abstract

A "risk of harm" protocol to identify youth in need of immediate emergency assistance in a study on mental health and HIV in Rwanda among 680 youth ages 10-17 is described. Cases are presented that describe the experience in using this protocol to ensure safety of participants, with ethical and logistical challenges considered. Among the population of the study, 3.2% were deemed "risk of harm." The most prevalent presenting problem was non-fatal suicidal behavior (91% of risk of harm cases), with 36% having a history of a reported previous attempt. Challenges included: acute food insecurity/significant poverty; lack of support/adequate supervision from family members; family violence; alcohol abuse; and HIV-related stigma. Development of a "risk of harm" protocol and collaboration between study staff, community leadership, health authorities, and health workers are critical to ensuring participants' safety in research among vulnerable populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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