You are a battalion chief in a fire department conducting a study that explores differences in morale between the three shifts of your organization. You decide to use a focus group to probe the issue. During the focus group, you learn some very personal information from your participants. One firefighter relates that he has had suicidal thoughts because he does not get along with the captain and feels like the captain is out to get him. The captain is not present in the focus group, and the other participants acknowledge that the captain is harsh on the firefighter.
What ethical issues exist in this scenario? How would you minimize harm to the participants? What, if any, of the information you have learned can be used in your role as a battalion chief and not as a researcher?