Issues in Research on the Older Woman of Color

Abstract

The difficulties of conducting research on minority group older women have not been considered by those in the field of non-compliance. Methodologists have long discussed the issues of doing research on compliance and those of doing research in minority communities. We attempt to integrate these two themes and suggest how the concerns described can be incorporated into our practice and assessment of research.

Issues and recommendations for the recruitment and retention of older ethnic minority adults into clinical research.

“…The primary way that researchers have dealt with this particular problem has been to establish a strong, positive relationship with the community, family members, and potential referral sources (Mindel & Kail, 1989;Williams et al, 1988).…”

“…A number of articles have discussed the issues related to recruiting and retaining older ethnic minority adults into research (Ballard et al, 1993; Carter et al, 1991; Kushman & Freeman, 1986; Lasoski, 1986; Leander & Neuwirth, 1978; Mindel & Kail, 1989; Souder, 1992; Steinmetz-Breckenridge, Thompson, Breckenridge, & Gallagher, 1985; Vinales Cunningham, 1991; Wallen, 1992; Williams, Vitiello, Ries, Bokan, & Prinz, 1988; Yeatts, Crow, & Folts, 1992). Research with older Anglo adults has found that the major issues in recruiting and retaining these older adults into research has to do with not knowing about the research study and trouble with transportation to the research center (Souder, 1992).…”

“…According to Valle (1989), the overarching issues to consider when trying to recruit older ethnic minority adults into research projects are their ethnocultural beliefs about mental illness and help-seeking behavior and the socioeconomic constraints present in being both older and belonging to a ethnic-minority group. These issues manifest themselves in the following ways: (a) distrust of the goals and processes of research by older ethnic minority adults and their families; (b) difficulties in transportation to research and clinic centers (Ballard et al, 1993; Mindel & Kail, 1989); (c) lack of information about the disorder that is being investigated (Ballard et al, 1993) and negative cultural attitudes toward mental illness (Landrine & Klonoff, 1994); (d) lack of information about the kind of help that the participant or family can receive by participating (Souder, 1992); and (e) lack of culturally or racially compatible professional staff (Ballard et al, 1993; Mindel & Kail, 1989; Takeuchi, Sue, & Yeh, 1995). The literature is replete with useful suggestions for recruiting and retaining older ethnic minority adults.…”

“…This is no easy task. The underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in geriatric mental health research is due, in large part, to the difficulties that many researchers encounter when trying to use traditional methods to recruit and retain older ethnic minority adults in research projects (Mindel & Kail, 1989; Thompson, Heller, & Rody, 1994). However, it has been our experience that recruiting and retaining older ethnic minority adults is made easier when methods to recruit and retain older ethnic minority adults are tailored to address the issues that prevent potential participants from engaging in research.…”

The validation of a new measure quantifying the social quality of life of ethnically diverse older women: two cross-sectional studies

“…Also, scarcity of culturally-competent (preferably same-culture) researchers is often problematic [ 14 ]. In addition, older women's limited financial means can present difficulties regarding transportation to research sites [ 15 ]. We have minimized these challenging issues in the current research, as described in the Methods section.…”