The SHARE Project: Maximizing Participant Retention in a Longitudinal Study with Victims of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

Retaining victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) in longitudinal research is challenging, as abused women often face safety concerns, housing and employment instability, poverty, and major life transitions, making it difficult to locate and retain participants at follow-up time points. This article builds on past research to describe individualized, technology-based retention strategies for hard-to-reach populations, which minimize participant loss while maintaining participant safety. These techniques have resulted in retention rates of 94% at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow-up interviews in a sample of 278 women experiencing both IPV and housing instability. The authors discuss the ethical use of appropriate technology for maximizing retention of participants as well as the importance of adjusting retention activities to meet the individual safety needs of each participant.

Keywords

retention intimate partner violence research methods safety needs longitudinal studies

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