| IRB consultation |
To identify potential issues against granting our request for a waiver of parental consent. |
Met with IRB section chairperson to explain the study aims, described the design, provided the rationale for the waiver request and solicit feedback about the IRB's potential concerns. |
| Supporting literature |
To provide resources and examples of studies that used waivers of parental consent |
Memo sent to IRB Chairperson that included:
Introduction of the study and its significance Limitations of retrospective study designs A table of recently published studies and institutions that successfully used waivers of parental consent A list of professional organizations that endorsed waivers of parental consent
|
| Expert Endorsement |
To provide an endorsement of our study's design and significance from a university expert who had extensive experience with adolescent research |
Consulted with university expert who helped us identify ways to bolster our arguments and provided suggestions to ensure human subjects protection. He wrote a letter of support which stated that the benefits of using direct adolescent informed consent without seeking parental permission far exceeded the risks for this population. |
| Additional measures |
Additional measures to reassure IRB members of the study's commitment to human subject protection were included. |
Obtained a federal Certificate of Confidentiality (CoC) from the National Institutes of Health to protect against data from being subpoenaed in court. Provided laminated referral cards for local LGBT resources and national crisis hotlines to each participant at the conclusion of each interview. |
