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Factors differentiating dropouts from completers in a longitudinal, multicenter clinical trial
D K Moser1, K Dracup, L V Doering
1College of Nursing, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
Nursing Research
|April 18, 2000
Summary
Participant dropout in clinical trials is common. Emotional and psychosocial distress, not just demographics, significantly predict who leaves a longitudinal study.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Psychology
- Psychosocial Research
- Longitudinal Studies
Background:
- Subject dropout in longitudinal trials can introduce bias.
- Understanding dropout factors is crucial for reliable study findings.
- Little is known about predictors of participant attrition in clinical research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify characteristics distinguishing participants who complete a longitudinal clinical trial from those who drop out.
- To analyze sociodemographic, emotional, and psychosocial factors associated with study attrition.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of 578 caretakers of infants at risk for cardiopulmonary arrest in a longitudinal trial.
- Comparison of baseline characteristics between completers and dropouts.
- Assessment included sociodemographic, emotional, psychosocial, and infant factors.
Main Results:
- Sixty percent of participants completed the study.
- Dropouts were more likely to be fathers/other caretakers (vs. mothers), English speakers (vs. Spanish), and in the experimental group.
- Higher depression, hostility, psychosocial distress, and negative healthcare views predicted dropout.
Conclusions:
- Personal, emotional, and psychosocial factors are primary predictors of dropout in longitudinal trials.
- Sociodemographic factors played a lesser role in predicting attrition.
- Commonly assumed retention factors like income and education did not predict dropout in this study.