COVID-19 and the ‘ethics of disruption’: Current dilemmas facing longitudinal research in low- and middle-income countries

• Main Authors: Gina Crivello, Marta Favara
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE Publishing 2021-02-01
• Series: Methodological Innovations
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1177/2059799121994223

In this piece, we draw on recent experiences from the Young Lives study to discuss some of the ethical and practical challenges facing longitudinal cohort studies in low- and middle-income countries in the time of coronavirus. We argue that COVID-19 has instigated an ‘ethics of disruption’ for social researchers across the world, and for longitudinal cohort studies like Young Lives, this requires navigating three core considerations: first, managing research relationships and reciprocity within an observational study design; second, maintaining methodological continuity and consistency across time; and third, balancing an immediate short-term response to COVID-19 against the long-term perspective. We refer to the study’s plan to implement a new COVID-19 phone survey to illustrate how the team are navigating this altered ethical terrain.