Perceived Benefits in Trauma Research: Examining Methodological and Individual Difference Factors in Responses to Research Participation

Abstract

THIS STUDY EXAMINED METHODOLOGICAL and individual difference factors in relation to perceived benefits and cost-benefit ratios among adult participants in trauma-related research. In two samples (N's = 72 and 118), ethnically-diverse community participants completed trauma-related questionnaires plus an in-depth interview. In separate community (N = 213) and undergraduate (N = 130) samples, participants completed trauma-related questionnaires, but no interviews. Participants rated their perceptions of the research process using the Response to Research Participation Questionnaire (RRPQ). Cost-benefit ratios were favorable in all samples. The research procedures (questionnaires only versus questionnaires plus interviews) explained unique variance in RRPQ scale scores and cost-benefit ratios, as did trauma-related distress. Implications of these findings for developing trauma research protocols are discussed.