National Statement Navigator
Question 2
Do my activities include a foreseeable risk to stakeholders of discomfort?
More information
What is discomfort?
Discomfort refers to temporary and less severe negative experiences that participants might encounter during a study or evaluation. Discomfort can include feelings of unease, minor stress, or inconvenience. While discomfort is generally short-lived and less impactful, it is still important to acknowledge and address it to maintain ethical standards.
What is a "foreseeable" risk?
Unfortunately, the National Statement is silent on a working definition of “foreseeable”. However, as the National Statement primarily draws its ethical basis from professional norms, philosophical principles (especially utilitarianism), and common law principles, we can infer a working definition from these sources.
Australian tort law outlines a concept of “foreseeable harm”, namely whether the specific harm could reasonably be anticipated by someone of normal competence with the activities undertaken. A similar principle can apply for discomfort, in that "foreseeable discomfort" is something that could reasonably be anticipated by someone of normal competence with the activities undertaken.
Where can I find out more?
We've written an article on understanding harm and discomfort in evaluation here.