Ethical considerations in domestic violence related researches

Background and Aim : Violence against women is one of the serious causes of disability and death of women with a high prevalence rate. Violence against women ethically is a sensitive research topic because it may engender physical, psychological, social and financial costs to those involved in research, to both researchers and participants. This study conducted with the aim of determining the ethical considerations in domestic violence research. Methods: In this review article, study of books and purposeful search of internal and external databases were used for attaining literature and related articles. Then the content of the searched documents were analyzed according to four principles of biomedical ethics. Ethical considerations: Moral rules such as honesty and integrity were taken into consideration in the analysis and report of searched literature. Findings: Main ethical concerns and considerations in these researches include the disclosure of information in the process of informed consent, ensuring safety and confidentiality, minimizing harm to participants and research team, ensuring scientific integrity, and providing support. Conclusion: Domestic violence research can be conducted well ethically if related ethical concerns in advance are identified and managed by using appropriate strategies. Please cite this article as: Taherkhani S. Ethical considerations in domestic violence related researches. Med Ethics J  2016; 10(35): 141-175.