title: The Symbolic Value and Limitations of Racial Concordance in Minority Research Engagement.
abstract: The well-documented underrepresentation of racial and ethnic minorities in research demands action. The field of health disparities research, however, lacks scientific consensus about how best to respectfully recruit underrepresented minority populations in research. We explore the investigators' perspective regarding how their own racial and ethnic background influenced their ability to recruit minorities, including (a) the influence of racial concordance ("race-matching") in research recruitment, (b) attributes and shared values important in the development of trust with minority communities, and (c) the role self-reflection plays in the development of meaningful research relationships. In 2010, we conducted in-depth, semi-structured, telephone interviews with investigators (N= 31) experienced with minority populations. Through the analysis of this coherent narrative, we uncovered both the symbolic and surface-level assumptions regarding minority recruitment to expose a deep structural understanding of race, ethnicity, and social context that is critical for bridging the true social difference between researchers and participants.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA csfryer@umd.edu.
authors.forename: Craig S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Fryer
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Susan R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Passmore
authors.affiliation: ResearchTalk, Inc., Bohemia, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Raymond C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Maietta
authors.affiliation: ResearchTalk, Inc., Bohemia, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Petruzzelli
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Erica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Casper
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Natasha A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Butler
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Mary A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Garza
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Sandra C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000592:standards*; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups; D018579:Patient Selection; D044469:Racial Groups; D014481:United States
keywords: ethnicity; minorities; qualitative analysis; race; relationships, research; research participation; vulnerable populations