Doing ageing research in pandemic times : a reflexive approach towards research ethics during the COVID-19 pandemic

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Authors

GALČANOVÁ BATISTA Lucie URBANIAK Anna WANKA Anna

Year of publication 2024
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source Ageing & Society
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Social Studies

Citation
Web https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ageing-and-society/article/doing-ageing-research-in-pandemic-times-a-reflexive-approach-towards-research-ethics-during-the-covid19-pandemic/7BAABB7284BFB2B7AF1DE71C67C34A0D
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X22000733
Keywords COVID-19 pandemic; ageing research; older adults; pandemic ageism; research ethics; ethically important moments
Attached files
Description The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a significant impact on societies and individual lives across the globe. In this paper, we address the impact of the pandemic and the protective measures on empirical social scientific ageing research through the lens of ‘ethically important moments’. One of the most crucial measures for preventing the spread of the virus includes social distancing; therefore, empirical research methods based on person-to-person direct contact (as in interviews) and first-hand observation have been scaled back since 2020. For ageing research, the challenges are particularly pronounced due to the ongoing discussion regarding vulnerabilities associated with higher age and age-based discrimination. Hence, many researchers focusing on ageing are facing some difficult questions: How and under what conditions can we carry on with empirical research without putting our research participants and ourselves at risk? Firstly, we systematically identify the key dimensions and challenges that have shaped social scientific research during the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: fragmentation, fluidity, ambiguity and uncertainty. Then, using insights from two international research projects, we illustrate and critically reflect on the ethically important moments and practical dilemmas that have resulted from these pandemic challenges when researching with and about older adults.
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