Building Ethical Foundations in Research: Adaptation of a Research Ethics Training Program for Adolescents

Abstract

Although young people are increasingly being included in research that affects them, commonly used research ethics training programs are designed for highly educated adult learners. In this paper, we describe our process of adapting and implementing an adolescent-appropriate version of an existing Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training module. Our research team adapted content from the CITI program's Researcher Basic Course—No Prisoners. Based on consultation with our youth researchers, this comprehensive training included audiovisual storytelling and information delivery, incorporation of relevant examples and connections to our research project, and interactive discussions. We successfully adapted a research ethics training for a nonacademic youth audience in partnership with them. Our adaptation was acceptable to participating youth researchers who reported greater understanding of ethical issues in social-behavioral research, increased understanding regarding the safeguarding of human subjects, and heightened confidence in their research abilities. Meaningful community and youth engagement in research necessitate the adaptation of training modules and materials that are accessible and appropriate for nonacademic audiences. We demonstrate the feasibility and success of one such adaptation for a youth participatory action research team involved in a study of adolescent mental health.