1. Parent Beliefs Regarding Acceptability of Recruitment Methods in Pediatric Research Susan T. Heinze, M.S., Amy J. Majewski, B.A., Elaine C. Bennaton, B.A., & W. Hobart Davies, Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee For more information, please contact Susan T. Heinze, stheinze@uwm.edu Discussion Acceptability: All three of the recruitment methods received moderate ratings of acceptability, ranging from 4.81 (RA call), to 7.16 (pediatrician call). Likelihood of Participation :Ratings for all recruitment methods were moderate, ranging from 3.83 (RA call) to 5.85 (pediatrician call). Intrusiveness: Ratings for all methods were moderate, ranging from 3.88 (pediatrician call) to 5.58 (RA call). Coerciveness: All recruitment methods received moderate ratings of coerciveness., ranging from 3.60 (RA call) to 3.89 (pediatrician call). Worry about Care: Parents’ ratings for all methods were low, ranging from 1.93 (RA call) to 2.99 (pediatrician call). The ratings for the nurse practitioner fell in between the call from the RA and the pediatrician for each attitude assessed. Despite scores falling within the same range of scores for each dimension, all ratings were statistically different from one another, with the exception of the RA call not being different from either of the other approaches for coerciveness. Background and PurposeFigure 1.Methods Results Parents rated the perceived acceptability, intrusiveness, and coerciveness (scale 1 least -10 most) of being called by 3 different members of the recruitment team: their pediatrician, nurse practitioner, or a research assistant (RA). Additionally, parents reported the amount of worry each method would produce regarding nonparticipation affecting their child’s care and their likelihood of participating. Ratings 1-3 were considered low, 4-7 moderate, and 8-10 high. Families may attribute varying levels of authority and knowledge to different members of a research team. This may influence whether a family chooses to participate in research. Higher rates of participation may result from having a research assistant (RA) or clinical nurse specialist approach families rather than a principal investigator, due to their ability to present information about a study in a less biased and coercive way (Tait et al., 1998). This investigation will examine parents’ attitudes and ratings of acceptability of different methods of recruitment utilizing several members of the treatment team. Parents reported mixed perceptions regarding each member of the research team calling them for participation in research. Parents rated the call from the pediatrician as both the most acceptable and the most coercive method of recruitment. Calls from a research assistant were rated as least acceptable and perceived as especially intrusive. Overall, worry was low, and all methods yielded moderate rates of likely participation. When feasible (e.g., in a research registry), parents should be asked about their preferences for how they will be contacted about studies. A community sample of parents completed an online survey about attitudes towards research recruitment for a hypothetical study investigating the psychosocial aspects of their child’s chronic medical condition. Parents n = 408 Ages 20 to 62 years (M= 37.21, SD= 9.55) 63% female 80% Caucasian Parents reported on their children ranging in age from 2 to 17 years (M = 8.10, SD = 5.40) 50% male Nearly half (45%) of parents reported that their child had a chronic medical condition. Participants