title: Understanding motivations to participate in an observational research study: Why do patients enroll?
abstract: By understanding common motivations for participating in observational research studies, clinicians may better understand the perceived benefits of research participation from their clients' perspective. We enrolled 164 cardiac patients in a study about the effects of gratitude and optimism. Two weeks post-enrollment, participants completed a four-item questionnaire regarding motivations for study enrollment. Altruistic motivation ranked highest, while intellectual, health-related, and financial motivations rated lower. Four subgroups of participants emerged, each with distinct characteristics and different priorities for participating. These findings may help front-line clinicians to understand which motivations for participation apply to their clients who enroll in non-treatment-based research projects.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Michael C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Soule
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Eleanor E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Beale
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Scott R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Carol A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Mastromauro
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Celano
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Shannon V
authors.initials: SV
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychiatry , Massachusetts General Hospital , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry , Harvard Medical School , Boston , Massachusetts , USA.
authors.forename: Jeff C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Huffman
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000523:psychology; D000533:Altruism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic / Q000523:psychology*; D035842:Research Subjects / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Cardiac; motivation; observational; recruitment; research participation