Engaging Sub-Saharan African Migrants in Social and Health Studies in Australia: Research and Ethical Challenges

Abstract

The study summarizes and discusses challenges in engaging Sub-Saharan African migrants in Australia in social and health studies using data from 15 discrete projects co-led by the three researchers who authored this article. The projects included cross-sections of the African community, focusing on parents and their children, and were carried out over 11 years (2007 to 2018) in Australia. An African Review Panel (ARP), a community-owned steering committee whose members were drawn from the target communities, oversaw the implementation of these projects. Directed content analysis of textual data, drawing on reflective practice through ARP interactive reflective meeting sessions and bilingual workers’ reflective field notes, was undertaken. Findings and associated learnings were summarized into broad themes around lessons learned from participatory research and ethical challenges. Current guiding ethical principles in research may not cater to all cultures, and there is a need to develop ethical guidelines that are culturally responsive to account for collectivist values related to cultural expression and experiences.