The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide
Suicide, one of the top causes of life lost in developed countries, is a major health problem, especially today, with the dramatic increase in mental health difficulties that was triggered during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Opportunely, the recent emergence of internet-based crowdsourcing p...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Springer Nature
2024-01-01
|
| Series: | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02572-3 |
| _version_ | 1797355945565618176 |
|---|---|
| author | Yaakov Ophir Yair Amichai Hamburger Anat Brunstein Klomek Yossi Levi-Belz Gergö Hadlaczky Elad Yom-Tov Gil Zalsman |
| author_facet | Yaakov Ophir Yair Amichai Hamburger Anat Brunstein Klomek Yossi Levi-Belz Gergö Hadlaczky Elad Yom-Tov Gil Zalsman |
| author_sort | Yaakov Ophir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Suicide, one of the top causes of life lost in developed countries, is a major health problem, especially today, with the dramatic increase in mental health difficulties that was triggered during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Opportunely, the recent emergence of internet-based crowdsourcing platforms (e.g., Amazon’s Mechanical Turk) may accelerate research on suicide prevention, however, this type of suicide research online involves a difficult ethical challenge: how to keep participants’ safe without compromising their privacy. To address this ethical challenge, a consortium of experts from multiple research institutions was assembled. The consortium discussed the advantages and disadvantages for participants involved in crowdsourcing-based studies that address suicide risk. This discussion resulted in a consensual step-by-step protocol for researchers who wish to conduct suicide research online, using the crowdsourcing platforms. This article provides a detailed description of the protocol and outlines key ethical arguments that led to its formulation. Unresolved issues are discussed as well and other researchers are encouraged to implement the proposed protocol and suggest further improvements. It is our hope that the current protocol will facilitate the research on large and diverse populations online and thus contribute to the global efforts to reduce suicide rates around the world. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:18:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd1dfe487a4042cc8e9a47d5f97c5515 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-9992 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T14:18:28Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Springer Nature |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd1dfe487a4042cc8e9a47d5f97c55152024-01-14T12:15:40ZengSpringer NatureHumanities & Social Sciences Communications2662-99922024-01-011111510.1057/s41599-023-02572-3The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicideYaakov Ophir0Yair Amichai Hamburger1Anat Brunstein Klomek2Yossi Levi-Belz3Gergö Hadlaczky4Elad Yom-Tov5Gil Zalsman6The Education Department, Ariel UniversityCenter of Internet Psychology (CIP), Reichman UniversityBaruch Ivcher School of Psychology, Reichman UniversityLior Tsfaty Center for Suicide and Mental Pain Studies, Ruppin Academic CenterNational Prevention of Suicide and Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska InstitutetTechnion – Israel Institute of TechnologySackler school of Medicine, Tel Aviv UniversitySuicide, one of the top causes of life lost in developed countries, is a major health problem, especially today, with the dramatic increase in mental health difficulties that was triggered during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). Opportunely, the recent emergence of internet-based crowdsourcing platforms (e.g., Amazon’s Mechanical Turk) may accelerate research on suicide prevention, however, this type of suicide research online involves a difficult ethical challenge: how to keep participants’ safe without compromising their privacy. To address this ethical challenge, a consortium of experts from multiple research institutions was assembled. The consortium discussed the advantages and disadvantages for participants involved in crowdsourcing-based studies that address suicide risk. This discussion resulted in a consensual step-by-step protocol for researchers who wish to conduct suicide research online, using the crowdsourcing platforms. This article provides a detailed description of the protocol and outlines key ethical arguments that led to its formulation. Unresolved issues are discussed as well and other researchers are encouraged to implement the proposed protocol and suggest further improvements. It is our hope that the current protocol will facilitate the research on large and diverse populations online and thus contribute to the global efforts to reduce suicide rates around the world.https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02572-3 |
| spellingShingle | Yaakov Ophir Yair Amichai Hamburger Anat Brunstein Klomek Yossi Levi-Belz Gergö Hadlaczky Elad Yom-Tov Gil Zalsman The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide Humanities & Social Sciences Communications |
| title | The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide |
| title_full | The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide |
| title_fullStr | The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide |
| title_full_unstemmed | The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide |
| title_short | The ethics of suicide research online: a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing-based studies on suicide |
| title_sort | ethics of suicide research online a consensual protocol for crowdsourcing based studies on suicide |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02572-3 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yaakovophir theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT yairamichaihamburger theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT anatbrunsteinklomek theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT yossilevibelz theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT gergohadlaczky theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT eladyomtov theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT gilzalsman theethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT yaakovophir ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT yairamichaihamburger ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT anatbrunsteinklomek ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT yossilevibelz ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT gergohadlaczky ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT eladyomtov ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide AT gilzalsman ethicsofsuicideresearchonlineaconsensualprotocolforcrowdsourcingbasedstudiesonsuicide |