ETHICAL ISSUES IN COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCH AND PRACTICE: PERSPECTIVE FROM COMMUNITY PHYSIOTHERAPY AND REHABILITATION

Abstract

Community psychology is the study of how a person's wellbeing and quality of life are influenced by social and environmental factors through community participation, prevention, empowerment and social justice. This approach includes community physiotherapy through the offering of rehabilitation services in community settings to improve access and encourage participation. Ethical practice is fundamental to advancing fairness and respect and to ensuring the safety of the individuals involved in community research and rehabilitation. This chapter discusses the key ethical principles of community psychology research and practice including informed consent, protection of vulnerable populations, fair selection of participants, confidentiality and conflict of interest. It also underlines the importance of health equity, community-based rehabilitation, multidisciplinary collaboration and ethical decision making to promote inclusive, equitable and high-quality community health and rehabilitation services.