An examination of how to engage migrants in the research process: building trust through an ‘insider’ perspective

Abstract

An examination of how to engage migrants in the research process: Building trust through an 'insider' perspective Introduction: Ensuring all members of society can equally participate in research and the provision of services is a challenging goal. Increased migration has been mirrored by media narratives of social threat, leaving many migrants feeling differentiated and distrustful of mainstream society. Objectives: We explore how migrant and ethnic minority populations can be given the opportunity to participate in the research process. In this work, we iteratively and jointly developed a range of engagement strategies that adopt an 'insider' approach; seeking to eliminate feelings of differentiation and 'otherness' by establishing mutual trust. Design: Recruitment activities were carried out with 8 focus groups of first generation South Asian migrants (the largest ethnic minority group in England). Our analysis was grounded in the broad principles of action research with reflective evaluation of our recruitment process using field observations and relevant focus group data; asking whether we tackled barriers to engagement. Results: Our findings show that 'otherness' can be reduced by establishing a trustworthy researcher-community relationship, but also that this relationship is complex, and needs to acknowledge residual mistrust. Alongside, researchers need to enable opportunities for empowered interaction, with flexible strategies to negotiate potential power divides. Conclusions: We can successfully create opportunities for engagement but there is no 'one size fits all'. Engagement requires tailored approaches that embrace flexibility, and position both engagement and non-engagement as positive and empowered choices.

The Cultural and Methodological Factors Challenging the Success of the Community-Based Participatory Research Approach When Designing a Study on Adolescents Sexuality in Traditional Society

“…The position as insider–outsider researcher has been recognized as an important component in action research including CBPR (Ahmed et al, 2019; Brown, 2012; Crean, 2018; Minkler, 2004; Muhammad et al, 2015). My position as an insider-researcher (Jabareen) conducting this study within my community had benefits and challenges.…”

“…In this instance, Jabareen shares the same ethnicity and first language with the target population under study. Some argue that when the researcher is an insider, the researcher loses objectivity and brings bias to the study (Chavez, 2008; DeLyser, 2001; Innes, 2009), whereas others found that it enhances the study implementation as there is a common language and understanding of the context surrounding important and sensitive issues (Ahmed et al, 2019; Chavez, 2008; DeLyser, 2001; Fryer et al, 2016; Innes, 2009; Mercer, 2007).…”

“It’s possibly made us feel a little more alienated”: How people from ethnic minority communities conceptualise COVID-19 and its influence on engagement with testing

“…Then I guess I'm more at risk in a sense. (Djibouti, Female, 19) We are mostly, I would say in service sector.. more or less front-line staff, working on buses, trains or catering industry or taxis or in hospitals. You are more likely to get infected.…”

Improving uptake of hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing in South Asian migrants in community and faith settings using educational interventions—A prospective descriptive study

“…The aims of this study were (1) to determine the feasibility of recruiting South Asian migrants residing in South-East England to view a short educational film based on qualitative data collected during a previous study (Ahmed et al, 2019;Hendy et al, 2019); (2) to determine the effect of this educational intervention on (i) the uptake of CVH testing in community settings and (ii) understanding of viral hepatitis; and (3) to identify methodological issues that may compromise the acceptability and feasibility of a definitive randomized controlled trial (RCT) of this intervention (Figure 1).…”

“…However, culturally relevant interventions including the importance of faith, language, and culturally sensitive settings and those that minimize logistical issues may be more effective at engaging minority groups (Kelly et al, 2018). We have developed a short, culturally and linguistically tailored educational film based on qualitative data collected regarding the knowledge, perceptions, barriers, and fears of CVH infection and testing in South Asian populations (Ahmed et al, 2019;Hendy et al, 2019). In this article we report on the feasibility of recruiting members of South Asian communities in England to view the film and subsequently accept CVH screening.…”