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<article xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" dtd-version="1.0" article-type="family-medicine" lang="en">
  <front>
    <journal-meta>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher">JOHS</journal-id>
      <journal-id journal-id-type="nlm-ta">Journ of Health Scien</journal-id>
      <journal-title-group>
        <journal-title>Journal of HealthCare Sciences</journal-title>
        <abbrev-journal-title abbrev-type="pubmed">Journ of Health Scien</abbrev-journal-title>
      </journal-title-group>
      <issn pub-type="ppub">2231-2196</issn>
      <issn pub-type="opub">0975-5241</issn>
      <publisher>
        <publisher-name>Radiance Research Academy</publisher-name>
      </publisher>
    </journal-meta>
    <article-meta>
      <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">493</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi">http://dx.doi.org/10.52533/JOHS.2025.51228</article-id>
      <article-id pub-id-type="doi-url"/>
      <article-categories>
        <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
          <subject>Family Medicine</subject>
        </subj-group>
      </article-categories>
      <title-group>
        <article-title>Ethical Considerations in Consent for Pediatric Population&#13;
</article-title>
      </title-group>
      <contrib-group>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Alabdulwahab</surname>
            <given-names>Amnah</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Almashan</surname>
            <given-names>Ahmed</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>AlMuallim</surname>
            <given-names>Duaa</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Alshammari</surname>
            <given-names>Sultan</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Ghamdi</surname>
            <given-names>Eman</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Alenezi</surname>
            <given-names>Naif</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
        <contrib contrib-type="author">
          <name>
            <surname>Asiri</surname>
            <given-names>Asma</given-names>
          </name>
        </contrib>
      </contrib-group>
      <pub-date pub-type="ppub">
        <day>31</day>
        <month>12</month>
        <year>2025</year>
      </pub-date>
      <volume>5</volume>
      <issue>12</issue>
      <fpage>934</fpage>
      <lpage>939</lpage>
      <permissions>
        <copyright-statement>This article is copyright of Popeye Publishing, 2009</copyright-statement>
        <copyright-year>2009</copyright-year>
        <license license-type="open-access" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">
          <license-p>This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) Licence. You may share and adapt the material, but must give appropriate credit to the source, provide a link to the licence, and indicate if changes were made.</license-p>
        </license>
      </permissions>
      <abstract>
        <p>Informed consent in pediatric healthcare presents a distinct set of ethical challenges, largely shaped by the evolving capacity of children to participate in decisions about their own care. Unlike adults, children are not presumed to have full legal autonomy, which places decision-making authority in the hands of parents or legal guardians. However, ethical practice requires more than legal compliance. It involves recognizing the child as an individual with emerging rights, preferences, and an ability to understand their medical situation to varying degrees, depending on age and maturity. Assent has emerged as a key concept in addressing this gap, serving as a process that respects the child’s voice without displacing parental responsibility. The role of parents in medical decisions is complex and influenced by cultural beliefs, values, and social structures. In some contexts, parental authority is shaped by communal norms rather than individualistic ideals, making it essential for healthcare providers to understand and adapt to varying expectations. Conflicts may arise when parental choices are at odds with clinical recommendations or when children express dissent. In such cases, ethical guidance and legal frameworks must work together to protect the child’s welfare while respecting family integrity. Cultural and contextual factors further influence how consent and assent are understood and practiced. In settings where health literacy is limited or where traditional belief systems shape medical decisions, clinicians must engage with families thoughtfully, using culturally sensitive approaches that build trust and promote informed participation. Assent and consent are not fixed procedures but relational processes that evolve with each encounter. Recognizing the diverse ways in which families understand health, authority, and childhood can lead to more ethical and effective pediatric care, grounded in respect, communication, and shared decision-making.&#13;
</p>
      </abstract>
      <kwd-group>
        <kwd>pediatric consent</kwd>
        <kwd> child assent</kwd>
        <kwd> parental authority</kwd>
        <kwd> medical ethics</kwd>
        <kwd> cultural context</kwd>
      </kwd-group>
    </article-meta>
  </front>
</article>