Ethical practices and viewpoints of psychotherapy Researchers

ROUSSOS, ANDRES; BRAUN, MALENA

Virginia Beach

Congreso; 43rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Psychotherapy Research,; 2012

Society for Psychotherapy Research

This study investigated the ethical practices and viewpoints of psychotherapy researchers. A self-developed online survey was sent to psychotherapy researchers (mostly SPR members) via the mailing list. Participants received an email with an invitation to participate and a link that opened a new browser window with the survey. The survey asked researchers to report on their on their own questionable behavior and on whether they had seen colleagues performing that type behavior. It also inquired on aspects such as ethical research training; data management (storing, sharing and recording) and use of clinical excerpts or vignettes. No personal identifiable information was collected. Researchers admitted to all of the questionable research practices inquired and the most common faults were related to authorship practices. These flaws, although mostly minor, helped us understand why ethical transgressions occurred. The results show that the proportion of major transgressions of psychotherapy researchers is lower than those in other areas, but that there is still a need to establish clear standards in order to prevent scientific misconduct. As ethical regulations and standards are being developed and updated around the world, the results of this survey help us to be aware in order not to stay as mere spectators. If we do not get involved the new standards could be too light (exposing subjects and research), too strict (obstructing research) or out of focus (leaving uncovered areas or disregarding the contexts that promote some flaws like, for example, inadequate monitoring of research projects due to work overload).