Abstract
Objectives: Young People (YP) aged 13-15 need parental consent to participate in research. However, parental consent can be a barrier to YP participation. An alternative approach could be using a process which allows YP to demonstrate their ability to self-consent, but this has not yet been explored in the context of online research. It is, therefore, important to explore the acceptability and feasibility of such a framework assessing Gillick competence (GC) in 13-15-year-olds.Design: A cross-sectional mixed method (predominantly qualitative) design was used.
Methods: Fifteen YP aged 13-15 read the information sheet for an online study evaluating a single-session intervention, answered four multiple-choice questions (MCQs) designed to assess GC, and answered open-ended questions exploring their thoughts on the consent process. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics (quantitative), content analysis and reflexive thematic analysis (qualitative).
Results: Most participants’ answers to the MCQs fit their understanding of the research; however, scores and experiences varied across the questions. Three themes were identified from participants’ perspectives about the consent process: (1) supporting YP to have a voice, (2) need for parental support to keep YP safe and (3) the framework in the real world: “it’s not one size fits all”.
Conclusions: The findings suggest the GC assessment framework works to test GC in online research. Furthermore, participants generally supported its use in low-risk online research. Participants offered recommendations for increasing its accessibility and ensuring the safety of YP. Strengths, limitations and additional future directions are discussed.
| Date of Award | 20 Sept 2024 |
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| Original language | English |
| Awarding Institution |
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| Supervisor | Maria Loades (Supervisor) |