Reasons for Adolescents (Not) to Participate in Scientific Research: Factors to Consider

To investigate which factors influence adolescents' participation in gynecologic research.

A qualitative study utilizing four online focus group discussions (FGDs), each including three postmenarchal female adolescents between 10 and 22 years old, was conducted between March and May 2024 in the Netherlands. Participants were purposively selected to ensure diversity in ethnicity and education level, including those who had declined participation in a previous scientific study but agreed to this one. FGDs were recorded, verbatim transcribed, and thematically analyzed, using an artful interpretive approach (Big Q/non-positivist), to determine the factors influencing adolescents' participation in gynecologic research.

The four identified factors were intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, time investment, and reliability. Adolescents experienced a lower threshold to participate in research if the subject of the research was interesting to them, if they benefited - in any form- from participating, if the research was conducted by someone they knew personally and was hence more trustworthy to them, and if their participation was helpful to someone they knew. Adolescents can be motivated extrinsically when they perceive participation as mandatory or if they receive financial compensation. Adolescents are more willing to participate in research when it requires minimal time and personal involvement. When using social media, with short, visually appealing posts, to reach adolescents, careful consideration must be given to becoming part of their content stream and from which account it is posted to facilitate adolescents' trust.

The perspectives of adolescents regarding participation in gynecologic research can be used to enhance adolescent engagement in research.