Reply to Tracy Davis Post Week 2 Consultation Implications in Context
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PSY 699 Week 5 Discussion Guided Response: (PLEASE SEE TRACY’S POST BELOW) (PleConsultatio Implications in Context
Was the suggested course of action presented ethically sound based on the APA Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct? If so, how? If not, why not? Did your colleague consider the legal ramifications of the course of action he or she suggested? Were the arguments for the suggested course of action supported by appropriate evidence-based psychological concepts and theories? What other resources might you suggest to your colleague that would inform the response to this case? Was your colleague’s recommendation culturally sensitive? What developmental issues did your colleague consider? What other issues might you suggest for further review in this case?
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TRACY DAVIS PSY WEEK 5 DISCUSSION POST Consultation Implications in Context
The staff should encourage the daughter to inform her mother that she is sexually active. This would serve as an alternative way to inform the mother that kids become sexually active in their adolescent years and they might be involved in risky behaviors. Based on the behavioral approach in psychology, we learn from our environments. This means that Victoria might be more involved in sexual activities based on the influence she is receiving from her environment, especially her peers. Again, based on the development approach, sexuality starts early among youths, with puberty being a major landmark. The knowledge about Victoria might influence her mother’s stance positively. It is likely that Tina is against disclosure because she feels guilty. In this case, she might not want her daughter to feel the same way in case she infects her boyfriend with HIV.
The staff should break confidentiality about the daughter’s sexual activity to Tina. The reason is that Tina is still a participant in Victoria’s health until the time she will attain the legal age. However, based on APA principle 2.03 (Maintaining Competence) the staff should uphold professionalism and competency when delivering the news ((American Psychological Association, 2010). The staff should encourage Tina to disclose about her condition as well as that of her daughter. According to Obermeyer, Baijal, & Pegurri (2011), fear of stigma is one of the reasons why people fail to disclose their HIV conditions. However, Gillard & Roark (2013), notes that the need to decrease stigma and reduce the rate of the infections are some of the reasons why most people end up being community AIDS educators. This means that the staff should encourage Tina to attend multiple education programs so that she learn on the best disclosure methods.
Ethically speaking, the boyfriend has the right to know about Tina’s condition. Basically, it is important to disclose one’s HIV status to his/her sex partner even though it is a tough decision. However, the right is not legalized because the HIPPA rule does not allow release of one’s medical results without permission. This means that the boyfriend can only learn from Victoria but not the medical staff. Based on Victoria’s age, the mother still has the right not to disclose the information. Based on American law, all kids below 18 years are required to provide parental consent for medical services (Spangler & Winkelmann, 2019).
The mother has a right to her privacy. The APA principle 4.06 Consultations holds that psychologists should not disclose any information that might lead to the identification of the patient by people with whom they have some confidential relationship (American Psychological Association, 2010). However, I feel like the two disclosures should done at the same time. When disclosing Victoria’s status, her mother’s condition should serve as an explanation as to how Victoria contracted HIV.
Considering Victoria’s age, the staff can wait for her to the legal age and disclose the status to her. However, the staff should only touch on Victoria’s case and not her mother. Meanwhile, before Victoria is of age, the psychologists can teach her on the need to practice protected sex, need for self-esteem, and the importance of getting tested before starting any sexual relationship. According to Leonard et al., 2011, youths should be educated about HIV risk reduction strategies.
References
American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct: Including 2010 amendments (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
Gillard, A., & Roark, M. F. (2013). Older adolescents’ self-determined motivations to disclose their HIV status. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 22(5), 672-683.
Leonard, A. D., Markham, C. M., Bui, T., Shegog, R., & Paul, M. E. (2010). Lowering the Risk of Secondary HIV Transmission: Insights From HIV‐Positive Youth and Health Care Providers. Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 42(2), 110-116.
Obermeyer, C. M., Baijal, P., & Pegurri, E. (2011). Facilitating HIV disclosure across diverse settings: a review. American journal of public health, 101(6), 1011-1023.
Spangler, N & Winkelmann, Z. (2019). Limits of Informed Consent in United States Secondary Schools. Journal of Medical Ethics. Retrieved from: https://blogs.bmj.com/medical-ethics/2019/05/22/limits-of-informed-consent-in-united-states-secondary-schools/. (Links to an external site.)
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