Sage-Tips

What constitutes a coercive inducement to participate in a research study?

However, this way of viewing financial incentives confuses the concepts of coercion and undue inducement. Coercion is the use of force, intimidation, or a threat to make someone comply with a demand or request. A coercive offer entails the threat of harm for failing to accept the offer.

What is coercive payment?

The idea that payment for research participation can be coercive appears widespread among research ethics committee members, researchers, and regulatory bodies. Consent-undermining coercion marks out certain actions as impermissible and certain agreements as unenforceable.

Is it ethical to give money to research participants?

Researchers should normally provide compensation to participants for their time. While it is appropriate (and required) to discuss compensation with participants through the informed consent process, it is inappropriate to use compensation as the main reason for individuals to consider participation in research.

What is coerced participation?

Coercion occurs when an overt or implicit threat of harm is intentionally presented by one person to another in order to obtain compliance… To avoid undue inducement and coercion in research, differing ways of approaching decisions of how much to pay participant compensation have been explored.

Can you pay participants in a research project?

Paying research subjects in exchange for their participation is a common and, in general, acceptable practice. Payment to research subjects for participation in studies is not considered a benefit that would be part of the weighing of benefits or risks; it is a recruitment incentive.

What is meant by coercion?

noun. the act of coercing; use of force or intimidation to obtain compliance. force or the power to use force in gaining compliance, as by a government or police force.

What is a coercive offer?

Another example of a coercive offer may be when the situation in which the offer is made is already unacceptable; for instance, if a factory owner takes advantage of a poor economic environment to offer workers an unfair wage.

Can you pay research participants?

In a reimbursement model, payment is offered to research participants to reimburse them for actual expenses, such as travel, meals, and parking. One version of a reimbursement model would also offer reimbursement for lost wages.

Why researchers may offer payment to participants?

First, money might be offered to reimburse participants for research-related expenses, for example, travel to the study site. Such offers may enable individuals who could not otherwise afford to participate or who would not be willing to make a financial sacrifice to participate to do so.

How can coercion be removed from research?

It is widely recognized that, in order to avoid coercion or undue influence, recruitment processes should allocate sufficient time both to communicate a thorough explanation of the study and to give the prospective participant adequate time to consider the information before making a decision on participation.

What is coercion example?

Coercion means forcing a person to do something that they would not normally do by making threats against their safety or well-being, or that of their relatives or property. For example, pointing a gun at someone’s head or holding a knife to someone’s throat is an actual physical threat.