Conducting Research with Latino Families: Examination of Strategies to Improve Recruitment, Retention, and Satisfaction with an At-Risk and Underserved Population

Difficulty recruiting and retaining Latino participants in clinical research may contribute to the limited number of studies addressing the mental health disparities that exist between Latino and Caucasian families in our country. The researchers developed and utilized culturally-modified research strategies to maximize recruitment, retention, and satisfaction of Latino families by targeting family systems, community, and cultural levels. Subsequently, the relationship between individual/family and cultural characteristics with participants' motivation to participate and overall satisfaction with the research project was examined. As part of a larger research study, 70 Latino parents of children aged 5-12 years completed a measure designed to assess an individual's motivation for participation, as well as his/her satisfaction with participating in psychological research (i.e., the Exit Survey). Parents also completed demographic questionnaire and two measures of acculturation (i.e., the Acculturation Rating Scale of Mexican-Americans-II and the Mexican-American Cultural Values Scale). Results indicate that families with more socioeconomic hardship and more acculturation to mainstream Anglo cognitions and traditional Latino behaviors were more pleased with the overall research project employing culturally-modified strategies aimed at individual/family, community, and cultural levels. Thus, researchers should strive to incorporate appropriate research strategies to recruit and retain "harder to reach" populations in clinical research studies. Better inclusion of Latinos in psychological research ultimately may lead to more culturally-appropriate mental health services and better service utilization for Latino families.