Committee Opinion No. 665 Summary: Guidelines for Adolescent Health Research.

Abstract

Considerable uncertainty exists about what constitutes appropriate levels of protection for adolescents as research participants and about the need for parental permission. The ethical principles that govern research include respect for individuals, beneficence, and justice, as articulated in the Belmont Report. Researchers should be familiar with and adhere to current federal regulations 45 C.F.R. § 46, and federal and state laws that affect research with minors. Investigators should understand the importance of caregiver permission-and ethically appropriate situations in which to waive caregiver permission-for the protection of adolescent research participants.