Research Portfolio Submitted in Part Fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology

: 1) What do adolescents think contributes to why depression develops and does this differ by culture? A systematic review and meta-synthesis; 2) The Impact of the first phase of the COVID-19 pandemic on Referral Patterns and Therapeutic Service Provision for Children and Young People’s Psychosocial Distress in a LMIC: A Service Evaluation of Routinely Collected Data from a Non-Government Organisation Operating in Schools in the Western Cape, South Africa; 3) Adolescent Self-Consent: Exploring Parents’ Perspectives on a Framework Assessing Gillick Competence in 13–15-year-olds for Participation in Online Studies.

Abstract

Adolescent Self-Consent: Exploring Parents’ Perspectives on a Framework Assessing Gillick Competence in 13–15-year-olds for Participation in Online Studies.

Objectives: Informed consent is an essential aspect of engaging in research and early intervention programmes. For those under the age of 16, parental consent is often sought. However, there are important limitations to requiring parental consent and, in some instances, it can restrict accessibility to mental health support. Giving children and young people (CYP) the opportunity to demonstrate Gillick Competence (GC), and therefore remove the need for parental consent, is one way of reducing this barrier. Within the UK demonstrating GC in online research has not yet been explored. This study examines whether the approach would be supported by parents and CYP.

Design: A qualitative design was utilised. The data was analysed from a constructionist epistemology.

Method: Twelve online semi-structured think-aloud interviews on GC, adolescent self-consent, and the specific proposed framework were conducted and analysed.

Results: Three broad themes generated through discussions with parents were (1) Empowering young people through giving them a voice; (2) Acceptance of the GC framework is a conditional judgement; and (3) It’s complex, so where do we go next? Within these subthemes, risk, specific reflections on the nature of the study and the young person’s systemic context and development are discussed.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that parents are supportive of the idea, so long as the risk to CYP in minimal, and the study is being carried out by professionals, safeguarding appropriately. Parents shared some specific feedback on the framework regarding the removal of subjective language. The wider discussion of CYP consent is also reflected on.

Date of Award	20 Sept 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Maria Loades (Supervisor)