Ethical guidelines for interview research with parents of underage children in the context of migration

Migration studies and family studies pose particular ethical challenges that need to be addressed in the course of the research process. In this chapter, we provide ethical guidelines for interview research with parents of underage children in the context of migration. The topic is sensitive due to the potential vulnerability of research participants related to, for example, their legal precarity, possible traumatic experiences, position as a minority and linguistic barriers. Family research also touches upon the area of private life and topics related to family relations, family conflicts and parenthood that are sensitive. The chapter covers different stages of research, such as the planning stage, entering the field, collecting data, and presenting the results. The aims of the chapter are first to pose critical questions that should be considered during research and second to provide practical tips on how to reduce power asymmetries between researcher and research participants.