46 - Amplifying Children’s Voices in Early Childhood Research: Parents’ Perspectives on Assent

Background: The goal of this study was to understand the perspectives of parents from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on assent in early childhood research, including what types of assent procedures would make them feel comfortable allowing their children to participate in a research study and return for future research activities. Early childhood research was defined as research investigating the development of children between birth and eight years of age. Currently, there are no standardized assent policies in early childhood research in the UAE.

Methods: This study utilized an anonymous online survey methodology to query parents of young children in the United Arab Emirates about their perspectives on the role of assent in early childhood research. Convenience, purposive, and snowball sampling methods were utilized to share the survey invitation. Over 870 parents participated in the survey, which included 11 demographic items and 18 items about the role of assent. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the responses. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic analysis of open-ended responses.

Results: Eighty-seven percent of respondents identified as mothers. When asked if they would prefer that researchers asked their young children if they would like to participate in research (in addition to the researcher seeking permission from the parents), 87% responded affirmatively. However, when asked if they would require their children to participate in research activities even when the children made it clear that they did not want to participate, 32% indicated that they would require participation. When asked about ways that their children show the caregivers that they want or don’t want to do something, respondents offered a variety of options, such as approaching or engaging with the activity to show that they want to participant and crying or asking why they have to do something to show that they do not want to participate.

Limitations: This study serves as a starting point to understand parents’ perspectives on assent in early childhood research. A major limitation of the study is uncertainty regarding whether respondents fully understood the scientific research contexts the data collection tool was asking about as the majority of parents did not have experience with their children participating in such research. The data collection tool provided definitions and examples to protect against this limitation.

Discussion: The results of this study provide guidance for future research, policy development, and design of research ethics practices. For example, many respondents agreed that the assent procedures in early childhood research should be customized for the general age-range of the sample and then individualized according to specific participant needs. This serves as a call for research into what such customization and individualization should look like. Meanwhile, early childhood researchers who incorporate assent procedures into their research ethics practices could consider whether the methods are suitable for their general age range and amenable to customization.