Ethical and methodological challenges with Minor Attracted People (MAPs)

• In Event: Ethical challenges in qualitative research: feminist, decolonial and bottom-up paths toward change

Abstract

Research with Minor Attracted People (MAPs) presents significant methodological and ethical challenges due to stigma, legal concerns, and barriers to participation. This presentation explores these difficulties, drawing on experiences from an ongoing study investigating the mental health needs and support barriers of MAPs with the goal of creating a targeted resource of support. Methodologically, issues such as recruitment, ensuring anonymity, and fostering trust require careful consideration to encourage participation while maintaining rigorous ethical standards. Ethical challenges include safeguarding participants, managing disclosures of illegal behaviour, and navigating the balance between participant welfare and legal obligations. The ongoing study employs a participatory action research approach, allowing MAPs to inform the research design which ensures their voices shape the development of the support resource. This presents challenges in terms of data analysis given that within qualitative research the researcher will always have some form of influence on the process including the thematic analysis. This presentation will discuss strategies for ethical engagement with this population, including confidential recruitment, sensitive interviewing techniques, and risk mitigation strategies. By addressing these methodological and ethical barriers, this research aims to contribute to the development of evidence-based resources that prioritise participant safety. The discussion will provide insights for researchers working with marginalised and high-risk populations, offering practical solutions for ethically and methodologically sound research in sensitive areas.

Author

• Laura Sibret, University of Portsmouth