The Change From Passive to Active Parental Consent on Sample Composition; Do We Exclude At-Risk Youth?

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the shift in recent years from passive to active parental consent for youth’ participation in research. A longitudinal study that took place during this change provided the unique opportunity to analyze which adolescent (demographic, alcohol use, norms) and parental factors predict the recipient of consent. The sample consisted of 691 adolescents between 12 and 17 years old ( M age = 14.22; SD = 1.03; 44.9% boys). Factors for each and across five domains (socio-demographic, alcohol use, individual, group/peers, and parental factors) were included in a multiple logistic regression analysis to predict non-consent at follow-up. Across domains, results showed that adolescents who are older ( OR = 0.60, p < .001), female ( OR = 0.60, p < .001) and those perceived less strict rules about alcohol ( OR = 1.26, p = .05), have a higher odds of not having consent for participation. These findings indicate that a specific selection of adolescents were given permission to participate in research, yet this was not particularly an at-risk group. Implications of these findings, such as the balance between autonomy and protection, are discussed.