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Evaluation ViewAttendees 6

Panel Discussions

Suicide and Self-Injury

Recruitment, engagement, and retention when conducting research with specific clinical populations at high-risk for suicide: Challenges, strategies, and recommendations

Panel Discussion 26 - Recruitment, Engagement, and Retention When Conducting Research with Specific Clinical Populations at High-risk for Suicide: Challenges, Strategies, and Recommendations

Saturday, November 16, 2024
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM EST
Location: Grand Ballroom F, Level 5, Downtown Marriott
Earn 1.5 Credit
Keywords: Suicide, Research Methods, Community-Based
Recommended Readings:

Schatten, Heather T., Gaudiano, Brandon A., Primack, Jennifer M., Arias, Sarah A., Armey, Michael F., Miller, Ivan W., Epstein-Lubow, Gary, Weinstock, Lauren M. "Monitoring, assessing, and responding to suicide risk in clinical research." Journal of Abnormal Psychology, vol. 129, no. 1, 2020, pp. 64-69.

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Skewes, M. C., Gameon, J. A., Grubin, F., DeCou, C. R., & Whitcomb, L. (2022). Beliefs about causal factors for suicide in rural Alaska Native communities and recommendations for prevention. Transcultural psychiatry, 59(1), 78-92.

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Olenick, M., M. Flowers, and V.J. Diaz. “US Veterans and their unique issues: enhancing health care professional awareness. Adv Med Educ Pract, 2015. 6: p. 635-9.

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Specific populations that are at particularly elevated risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) are often understudied due to difficulties with recruitment, engagement, and retention. Groups such as adolescents, Native peoples, psychiatric inpatients, Veterans, persons involved in the criminal legal system, and individuals with co-morbid conditions experience unique risk factors for suicide, warranting a more concerted and intentional research effort, as well as thoughtful approaches to appropriately, ethically, and successfully engaging them in clinical research. Panelists will begin by providing brief overviews of their background and research. Initial discussion will focus on the necessity of including special populations in suicide research and the need to explore novel study designs and culturally-responsive research methods to maximize participant engagement, thereby enhancing the impact of this research. Next, drawing on the broader scientific literature, direct research and clinical experiences, and previous work from colleagues, this panel will highlight strategies that have been used with specific populations (e.g., formation of and engagement with community advisory boards, inclusion of peer support specialists, collaborations with tribal councils, schools, and other community partners). Panelists will discuss the advantages and limitations of each approach, with an emphasis on barriers encountered and strategies to overcome them. Panelists will also discuss place-based, historical, intergenerational, and cultural considerations (e.g., data sovereignty) and the importance of collaborating with community members and those with lived experience throughout all aspects of the research process. Lastly, the panel will highlight recommendations for improving the engagement and experience of these special populations and potential future directions of this work, before opening the discussion to questions from the audience.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this session, the learner will be able to:
  1. Discuss the importance of including special populations in suicide research.
  2. Identify unique risk factors for suicide among specific populations.
  3. Describe methodological and ethical challenges in recruitment and retention of participants in these groups.
  4. Present current best practices in recruitment, retention, and engagement of participants from specific vulnerable groups.
  5. Discuss implications and recommendations for improving participant experiences in suicide research across urban and rural contexts.