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Barriers and Motivators to Research Participation Among Transgender and Gender-Diverse Youth: A Mixed-Methods Study
An Pham1, Junpei Tarashi2, Hadee Makda2
1Department of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University (A Pham and MK Bean), Richmond, Va.
Objective:
This study applied mixed-method techniques to assess facilitators and barriers to research participation among transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth.
Methods:
Fifty-one TGD youth participants completed a 1-time, online survey in 2024 to 2025 with the Pediatric Research Participation Questionnaire (PRPQ) and open-ended questions examining factors that contribute to a TGD youth's decision to participate in research. PRPQ and sociodemographic items underwent descriptive statistical analysis and qualitative analysis were applied to open-ended responses to identify consistent themes.
Results:
Quantitative and qualitative results revealed that participants have trust in research and are motivated to participate in research if 1) they are compensated; 2) their participation in research has the capacity to help the TGD community; and 3) the research environment is supportive, inclusive, and affirming of TGD people. Qualitatively, participants primarily described concerns with safety as the main barrier to participation in research.
Conclusions:
Based on the results of this study, our research team has 4 recommendations to improve the recruitment and retention of TGD youth in research: offer financial support and compensation, include information on how a research study will positively affect TGD youth, create an affirming and inclusive research environment throughout the entire research process, and prioritize confidentiality and data protection.
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