Recruiting subjects for follow-up studies in child abuse raises ethical
dilemmas. This paper examines the effects of the ethical stance taken in a
study of a community sample of sexually abused children. The ethical code
adopted required strict confidentiality and active consent to be interviewed
from both child and carer, based on full information about the research
objectives and method. The response rate was very low. A less rigid stance,
which might have resulted in a larger sample, was considered inappropriate.
Nevertheless, the quantitative and qualitative data yielded findings
of interest to practitioners. Suggestions for future research practice are
presented.