Methodological Challenges in Following Up Patients of a Hospital Child Protection Team: is There a Recruitment Bias?

Overview

Journal Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Date 2010 Nov 6

PMID 21050452

Citations 3

Authors

Andreas Jud

Ulrich Lips

Markus A Landolt

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: The aims of this study are to describe the methodological challenges in recruiting a follow-up sample of children referred to an interdisciplinary hospital child protection team (CPT) and to compare participating versus non-participating groups on several demographic variables and maltreatment characteristics.

Methods: Of the 319 in- and outpatients referred to the CPT at University Children's Hospital Zurich from 2005-2006 a sample of 180 children was drawn to contact for a follow-up. The children and their parents were asked to participate in a face-to-face interview at the hospital; in 42 cases the children and parents consented to do so. Alternatively, the parents could take part in a telephone interview (n = 39). Non-participation resulted because no contact or adequate communication in German, French, or English could be established (n = 49) or because the parents or children refused to participate (n = 50).

Results: Participants and non-participants did not differ significantly in mean child age at follow-up, gender, family status, place of residence, certainty and type of maltreatment, and type of perpetrator. However, the child's nationality had a significant impact: Percentages of foreign nationals were higher in the fully participating group (45%; n = 19) and the non-contactable group (53%; n = 26) and significantly lower in the refusal (26%; n = 10) and the telephone interview group (18%; n = 9). Although a high percentage of families had moved in the few years since the CPT intervention (32%; n = 57), the percentage of moves was not significantly higher in non-participants compared to participants.

Conclusions: Further research is needed to support these results in different national backgrounds and to test for biases in variables not included - especially socioeconomic status. This includes gathering more detailed information on non-participants, while respecting ethical boundaries. Overall, the fact that only child's nationality was unevenly distributed between participants and non-participants is encouraging.

Citing Articles

Challenges in recruiting and retaining adolescents with abuse-related posttraumatic stress disorder: lessons learned from a randomized controlled trial.

Vogel A, Comtesse H, Rosner R Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2020; 14:14.

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Research in minors with a recent history of trauma-A bold venture?.

Mayerhofer D, Schwarzenberg J, Rusch R, Bogyi G, Skala K Neuropsychiatr. 2020; 34(1):15-21.

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Jud A, Landolt M, Tatalias A, Lach L, Lips U Qual Life Res. 2012; 22(6):1361-9.

PMID: 22996648 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-012-0262-z.

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