Promoting Latinx Caregiver's Involvement in Suicide Prevention Research During a Pandemic

Overview: Latinx immigrants are traditionally thought of as "harder to reach" populations within the research. Nevertheless, more inclusive research designs and technological advances are challenging such thoughts. This presentation will highlight the development, implementation, and lessons learned from a mixed method study to engage Latinx immigrant caregivers in suicide-related prevention research.Proposal text: Background and

Purpose: Latinx immigrants are traditionally thought of as "harder to reach" populations within the research. Multiple issues hinder Latinx immigrants' willingness and ability to participate in research. For example, many Latinx immigrants may avoid interacting with state-affiliated institutions due to trust issues (Wallance et al., 2013), many of which may be related to fear of detention and deportation. Additionally, due to socio-economic issues, Latinx immigrants may be more transient than other ethnic and racial populations, including renting instead of own property and having limited access to the internet and telephones relying on pay-as-you-go plans (Knight et al., 2009). Thus, recruiting Latinx immigrants for behavioral science research poses unique challenges, especially when the research is related to stigmatized subjects, such as suicide and suicidality. Thus, this presentation aims to revisit the subject, provide updates on the challenges posed, and describe innovative ways to increase recruitment and participation. Specifically, we focused on the lessons learned from a project on Latinx immigrant suicide-related prevention communication conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic.


Methods: The project focused on suicide-related prevention communication among Latinx immigrants in a new destination state. Data collection followed a purposive sampling technique. The researcher recruited participants through community gatekeepers, responsive-driven advertisements, and flyers. Recruitment was rolled out into three phases, allowing the researcher to assess which strategies yielded more participation systematically. Additionally, participant's informed consent modality were also tracked.

Results: Nearly 750 potential participants were reached, all of which opted to take the survey in Spanish. Of the 750, 318 meet eligibility criteria. 36% (n = 117) of those choose to receive the informed consent information via video. During phase one of recruitment, the survey link was posted online, and a flood of fraudulent responses came in. To responded to this issue, the online survey's ballot-stuffing option was disabled. The researcher then used the participants unique identifiers and IP addresses to screen and remove fraudulent and duplicate responses. In total, 133 agreed to participate in the study and completed the study survey. Of the three recruitment phases, phase one—community gatekeepers—and two—Facebook and WhatsApp groups—yielded the most participants (47%; n = 62; and 50%; n = 67, respectively). Nearly 80% (n = 50) of the participants referred by a community gatekeeper came from a non-for-profit grassroots local organization. Phase three, onsite flyers, yielded the least participants (3%; n = 4). There were no statistically significant differences in participants' socio-demographic characteristics between those recruited via the different phases—the three-stage recruitment strategy provider a homogenous sample in terms of socio-demographics.
Conclusions and Implications: Beyond providing the survey in the participant's language, there is a need to provide immediate monetary incentives. Drawing on social media platforms and including a personal touch, such as a video, appears to boost Latinx immigrant recruit. Like previous findings by Zayas et al. (2009), program directors and clinicians, while verbalizing initial enthusiasm and support for the project, failed to refer participants to the study.