Ethics creep: The epistemic injustice of silencing of older adults’ experiences of elder abuse and neglect

Research involving older adults who have experienced elder abuse and neglect often attracts scrutiny from institutional review boards (IRBs) because of concerns relating to distress, disclosure, coercion, dependency, capacity and participant safety. However, experiencing elder abuse and neglect does not in itself make an older adult vulnerable as a research participant; vulnerability arises from personal, relational and contextual circumstances. Although ethical oversight is essential, increasing bureaucratisation, described as ethics creep, may obstruct research involving marginalised populations. This is especially important for nurses, who hold important roles as researchers, clinicians, advocates, gatekeepers and as recipients of safeguarding disclosures. Drawing on ethics creep, vulnerability, critical gerontology, human rights and epistemic injustice, this paper examines how disproportionate ethical regulation may restrict older adults' participation in elder abuse and neglect research. Rather than calling for reduced oversight, we argue for proportionate, relational and human rights-based IRB governance that protects participants while enabling older adults to share their lived experiences.