Peer-reviewed article
Ethical reflections when research includes refugee children - a study of ethics review applications.
Hagström M, Wegerstad L, Priebe G ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how researchers in Sweden approach ethical considerations when conducting research with refugee children, specifically in studies about abuse and neglect. The researchers analyzed 15 ethics review applications submitted to the Swedish Ethical Review Authority between 2019 and 2021. The study found that researchers emphasize both protecting refugee children from harm and hearing their voices, while identifying key ethical challenges related to this vulnerable population. The authors conclude that better dialogue between researchers, ethics committees, and children's rights advocates is needed to ensure research both protects and empowers refugee children.
Key points
- 43 million refugee children globally in 2025, creating urgent need for research supporting their well-being
- Researchers identified three main ethical themes: vulnerability as a group, dual identity as both child and refugee, and psychological aspects of participation
- Ethics applications emphasize both risks and potential benefits of participation in research
- Current emphasis tends toward protection over participation in research applications
- Dialogue between researchers, ethical committees, and children's rights advocates is needed to balance protection and empowerment
Limitations
This study examines only ethics review applications from Sweden and does not assess how ethical principles are actually implemented in practice or their impact on refugee children's well-being. The analysis is limited to 15 applications focused on abuse and neglect research and may not represent all research involving refugee children.
Abstract
Background The global number of refugee children was 43 million in 2025, highlighting the urgent need for research that supports their well-being. Such research must carefully balance children's rights to be protected from harm and to be heard. Objective This study explores how researchers in Sweden address ethical considerations when planning studies involving refugee children, particularly in the context of abuse and neglect, as presented in applications to the Swedish Ethical Review Authority (ERA). Data The data consists of fifteen ethics review applications submitted to ERA between 2019 and 2021 and concerning research about abuse and neglect involving refugee children. Methods The data was analyzed with reflexive thematic analysis using manual coding with the Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software NVivo to identify how researchers present ethical challenges and justify their studies. Findings Three main themes were identified: A particularly vulnerable group, Being both a child and a refugee, and Psychological aspects of refugee children participating in research. Researchers emphasize both the risks and potential benefits of participation and give an extensive view of their ethical reasoning when planning research with refugee children. Conclusions The emphasis on protection over participation in the applications highlights the importance of dialogue between researchers, ethical committees, and children's rights advocates to ensure that research both protects and empowers the children it seeks to understand.