1 - (SYM 59) The Children, Intimate Relationships, Conflictual Life Events, and Stress (CIRCLES) Study: A Participant-engaged Supportive Research Approach

The Children, Intimate Relationships, Conflictual Life Events, and Stress (CIRCLES) Study was funded by the NIH to improve understanding of the context in which intimate partner aggression (IPA) and parent to child aggression (PCA) occur and co-occur, including how aggression may “spillover” across dyads within discrete incidents of aggression. Study participants included 448 partnered caregivers (52% female) of at least one child 3-5 years of age who was enrolled in (or eligible for) Head Start and resided in the Greater Pittsburgh Metro Region. Given eligibility requirements for Head Start and the nature of the Region, the sample was at risk in a variety of ways and diverse in terms of race and urban/rural residence. Over approximately 9 months, participants completed 8 stages of data collection focused on their experiences of trauma, adversity, and family violence. Six monthly telephone interviews were conducted in which participants described each incident of aggression that occurred in their home during the past four weeks, with a focus on the context and nature of aggressive behaviors enacted. Substantial individualized debriefing and resource provision was provided at the end of each interview. Data collection occurred in a manner in which participants could not be identified in order to facilitate comfort and openness, particularly when reporting on recent incidents of child abuse. Additionally, study staff engaged in substantial support and advocacy between instances of data collection, effectively serving as a readily available resource for participants anytime major stressors emerged.

Despite the sensitive nature of the questions asked, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic for school engagement, and the generally transient nature of the study population, participant recruitment occurred more rapidly than expected (resulting in 12% more participants than planned) and participant retention across the 8 waves of data collection was higher than expected ( >95% between each data collection segment). Attrition was similar among mothers and fathers, despite the usual challenges of engaging fathers in research. At the end of the study, participants’ anonymous feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Qualitative coding indicated that less than 5% of comments included negative content, typically focused on time commitment and similar issues of participant burden. The success of the project is owed to the focus that was placed on participant engagement, support, and advocacy. Examples of this approach will be provided and discussed.