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Moral–psychological development related to the capacity of adolescents and elderly patients to consent
  1. M M Raymundo1,2,
  2. J R Goldim1,2
  1. 1
    Programa de Pós-Graduação de Ciências em Gastroenterologia da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
  2. 2
    Laboratório de Pesquisa em Bioética e Ética na Ciência, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
  1. Ms M M Raymundo, Rua Santa Cecília, 2043/502, Rio Branco, Porto Alegre, RS 90420-041, Brazil; marciamocellin{at}gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate moral development as an indicator of the capacity to consent among two groups of patients from the Hospital de Clínicas in Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Method: Fifty-nine adolescents and 60 patients over 60 years of age participated in a cross-sectional study to assess moral development using Loevinger’s model of ego stages.

Results: Age and moral development showed no association, with most participants in the two groups being in the conscientious phase.

Conclusions: Age is probably not an adequate variable to measure decision-making capacity, because questions of medical consent relate to participants’ own personal health. Decision-making capacity should be viewed as a continuous function. While the age of the person whose consent is needed should be considered, age alone, from a moral perspective, is not the main determinant of this capacity.

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Footnotes

  • Funding: Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa e Eventos do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (FIPE/HCPA) e Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa/Brasil (CNPq).

  • Competing interests: None declared.

  • Ethics approval: Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa do Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, approval number 01421.