Objectives: To examine attitudes of Saudi parents about doing research on their infants.Subjects and methods: Fifty eight parents of newborn infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and 42 parents of the normal newborn nursery (NNN) returned completed questionnaires. The survey included questions with graded responses and five research scenarios with different levels of risks and benefits. Statistical analysis included Chi square analysis and Fisher's exact test were used to determine a difference between the two groups in responses to scale items. Results:We found that parents showed generally favorable attitudes toward research with infants. Comparisons between the two parent groups revealed a significant difference (p<0.05) on just one item which showed that the NNN group had a good understanding of the way research was conducted. There were no statistical differences in the five scenarios except in scenario that parents in NICU were significantly more likely to enroll their infants in research. There was an agreement; with few exceptions, parents wanted to be asked for consent and would like to make decisions by themselves. Conclusion:Parents included in this study understand the importance of doing research even they are in agreement in enrolling their own infants in studies that are risky but they want to be consented before commencing any research.

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