Ethical practices in community-based research in non-suicidal self-injury: A systematic review

The results examine a range of ethical issues; the procedures for consent and assent for study participation, protection of confidentiality and the limits of confidentiality, assessment of imminent risk of suicide and subsequent processes, and debriefing measures. The interaction between the study characteristics and the reported ethical procedures has been examined, with a focus on participant age, study design (cross-sectional or longitudinal), survey modality (paper-based survey or online survey) and primary variable/s of interest (only NSSI or NSSI and suicidal ideation/behavior) under study. The review describes the typical ethical practices in community-based research on NSSI, identifies the gaps in the existing literature, and has implications for the formulation of best-practice guidelines.