Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias?
Abstract Background While enrolling dyads in research studies is not uncommon, there is limited literature on the utility of different recruitment strategies and the resulting selection biases. This paper examined two recruitment strategies used to enroll military couples in a longitudinal study, as...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2018-10-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Research Methodology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12874-018-0575-x |
| _version_ | 1819326760183922688 |
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| author | Hope Seib McMaster Valerie A. Stander Christianna S. Williams Kelly A. Woodall Christopher A. O’Malley Lauren M. Bauer Evelyn P. Davila for the Millennium Cohort Family Study Team |
| author_facet | Hope Seib McMaster Valerie A. Stander Christianna S. Williams Kelly A. Woodall Christopher A. O’Malley Lauren M. Bauer Evelyn P. Davila for the Millennium Cohort Family Study Team |
| author_sort | Hope Seib McMaster |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background While enrolling dyads in research studies is not uncommon, there is limited literature on the utility of different recruitment strategies and the resulting selection biases. This paper examined two recruitment strategies used to enroll military couples in a longitudinal study, assessing the impact of both strategies on the representativeness of the final study sample. Method Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to 1) identify characteristics associated with spouse referral, 2) compare response rates based on recruitment strategy and assess whether recruitment strategy modified correlates of response propensity among spouses, and 3) assess whether referred spouse characteristics differed from non-referred spouses in the final sample. The study sample consisted of married US service members with 2–5 years of military service as of October 2011 and their spouses. Results Service members who referred their spouses to participate in the Millennium Cohort Family Study were more likely to be male, have children, serve in the Army, and have combat deployment experience than those who did not refer their spouse. Nearly two-thirds (n = 5331, 64.9%) of referred spouses participated in the Family Study, compared with less than one-third (n = 3458, 29.5%) of directly contacted spouses. Spouse characteristics also differed significantly between recruitment groups. Conclusions Overall results suggest that minimal bias was introduced by using a referral recruitment methodology. Service members appeared to be more likely to refer their spouses if they perceived the research topic as relevant to their spouse, such that male service members with combat deployment experience were more likely to refer female spouses caring for multiple children. Referred spouses were significantly more likely to respond to the Millennium Cohort Family Study survey than those who were directly contacted; however, the overall success rate of using a referral strategy was less than recruiting spouses through direct contact. Differences between referred spouses and spouses contacted directly mirrored service member referring characteristics. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-24T13:00:04Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-698a5f4a2ecc466cb9e96165990b7153 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2288 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-24T13:00:04Z |
| publishDate | 2018-10-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Research Methodology |
| spelling | doaj.art-698a5f4a2ecc466cb9e96165990b71532022-12-21T16:54:10ZengBMCBMC Medical Research Methodology1471-22882018-10-0118111310.1186/s12874-018-0575-xEngaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias?Hope Seib McMaster0Valerie A. Stander1Christianna S. Williams2Kelly A. Woodall3Christopher A. O’Malley4Lauren M. Bauer5Evelyn P. Davila6for the Millennium Cohort Family Study TeamThe Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.Naval Health Research CenterAbt Associates, Inc., Central Park WestThe Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.LeidosThe Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.Emory UniversityAbstract Background While enrolling dyads in research studies is not uncommon, there is limited literature on the utility of different recruitment strategies and the resulting selection biases. This paper examined two recruitment strategies used to enroll military couples in a longitudinal study, assessing the impact of both strategies on the representativeness of the final study sample. Method Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted to 1) identify characteristics associated with spouse referral, 2) compare response rates based on recruitment strategy and assess whether recruitment strategy modified correlates of response propensity among spouses, and 3) assess whether referred spouse characteristics differed from non-referred spouses in the final sample. The study sample consisted of married US service members with 2–5 years of military service as of October 2011 and their spouses. Results Service members who referred their spouses to participate in the Millennium Cohort Family Study were more likely to be male, have children, serve in the Army, and have combat deployment experience than those who did not refer their spouse. Nearly two-thirds (n = 5331, 64.9%) of referred spouses participated in the Family Study, compared with less than one-third (n = 3458, 29.5%) of directly contacted spouses. Spouse characteristics also differed significantly between recruitment groups. Conclusions Overall results suggest that minimal bias was introduced by using a referral recruitment methodology. Service members appeared to be more likely to refer their spouses if they perceived the research topic as relevant to their spouse, such that male service members with combat deployment experience were more likely to refer female spouses caring for multiple children. Referred spouses were significantly more likely to respond to the Millennium Cohort Family Study survey than those who were directly contacted; however, the overall success rate of using a referral strategy was less than recruiting spouses through direct contact. Differences between referred spouses and spouses contacted directly mirrored service member referring characteristics.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12874-018-0575-xRecruitmentReferralDyadCouplesMilitaryEpidemiology |
| spellingShingle | Hope Seib McMaster Valerie A. Stander Christianna S. Williams Kelly A. Woodall Christopher A. O’Malley Lauren M. Bauer Evelyn P. Davila for the Millennium Cohort Family Study Team Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias? BMC Medical Research Methodology Recruitment Referral Dyad Couples Military Epidemiology |
| title | Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias? |
| title_full | Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias? |
| title_fullStr | Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias? |
| title_short | Engaging military couples in marital research: does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias? |
| title_sort | engaging military couples in marital research does requesting referrals from service members to recruit their spouses introduce sample bias |
| topic | Recruitment Referral Dyad Couples Military Epidemiology |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12874-018-0575-x |
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