Influential Factors on Participation in Mental Health Research:Directing Future Research Methods

Research on pediatric mental health treatment outcomes require continued participant engagement typically involving the caregivers; however, these studies report high rates of attrition. To increase participant retention, an understanding of participants’ experiences that influence their participation is necessary. The current study employed qualitative methods to understand the reasons behind participation of parents enrolling in pediatric longitudinal mental health research targeting their child’s mental health. Participants were recruited from a longitudinal study that provided mental health resources to families. Data from 49 parent interviews were analyzed using interpretive description, which generated two themes: influential factors behind parent enrollment and factors impacting retention or attrition. Our findings inform the content and dissemination of recruitment material targeting parent participation in youth mental health research. Further, our findings may inform what information related to the study (e.g., participant responses) should be provided to participants and how dissemination of findings may increase future participation.