Research aimed at improving clinical interventions in social work or allied professions depends on the recruitment of participants from the communities and populations for which the interventions are intended. Additionally, ethical conduct of research calls for sensitivity to the needs and circumstances of ethnically diverse populations (Gil and Bob, 1999). Noting the under-representation of African Americans in psychosocial research and with the ultimate goal of devising strategies to encourage African American enrollment in research projects, the current study aims to identify impediments and experiences of African American research participants. To date, few studies have addressed the issue. Of those that have, the majority consider the under-representation of African Americans in medical, as opposed to psychosocial, research (Fowler, 2002). Although this literature offers insights pertinent to discussions of African Americans' participation in psychosocial research, the current study adds to the literature by considering psychosocial research specifically. Semi-structured interviews with 135 African American women and 170 African American children from a large urban city were conducted by trained members of the community where the study took place. The following are the participant driven research questions addressed in this paper through a mixed methods approach: 1) What motivates members of the African American community to participate in research studies? 2) What tensions exist between community residents and outside researchers? 3) What type of understanding do African American research participants have about the research process. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the adult interviews suggest that despite having signed informed consent materials, many participants a) are not aware of their rights under informed consent (Exp(B)=2.165, p<.05); and b) lack knowledge of how the research results will be used (F=5.60, p<.01). The children's interview content suggests that: 1) African-American children are generally willing to participate in research regardless of compensation (Exp(B)=1.38, p<.05); 2) African-American children have a decreased sense of trust for black researchers born out of a sense of concern that black researchers will be obligated to share their responses with their parents (Exp(B)=.72, p<.05); and 3) knowledge of the informed consent process is closely tied to trust for African-American children (beta=.241, p<.01) (r2=.18, F=17.99, df=2, p<.01). For social work practitioners and researchers, the study's findings highlight a) the level of distrust that exists between the African American community and white social work professionals and b) the lack of accurate knowledge regarding research in general and informed consent in particular. These disparities must be acknowledged and dealt with to preserve the fidelity of the research or intervention. In the words of one participant, “[Research data from African Americans] may give other researchers a better idea on how to do things because everybody mind is not the same.”

References

Fowler, B.A. (2002). An outsider's experiences in conducting field research in an African-American community. Journal of Black Nurses Association, 13(1), 31-37.

Gil, E.F. Bob, S. (1999). Culturally Competent Research: An Ethical Perspective. Clinical Psychology Review 19 (1), 45-55.