Findings from a groundbreaking research project supervised by Dr. Blackwell based on the dissertation work of Dr. Jake Bush has been published in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Dr. Bush is the primary author of the article, entitled, “Social Media as a Recruitment Strategy with Transgender-Identified Individuals: Using an Ethical Lens to Direct Methodology.” The abstract for the work appears below. Click on the “Research” link at the top of the Web Site to access the article.
Abstract
Introduction: Researchers are limited when using traditional recruitment methods to access hidden and vulnerable populations, including transgender persons. Social media platforms such as Facebook can provide access to the transgender population and facilitate recruitment of a representative sample. There is little regulatory guidance for using social media as a recruitment strategy. Methodology: This article presents recruitment recommendations based on a study that generated a diverse sample of transgender-identified persons using Facebook as the sole recruitment method. Results: Despite taking precautions, computer bots penetrated the initial survey. A second survey distribution collected data from a diverse sample of transgender-identified individuals. Discussion: Researchers should design social media recruitment methods with attention to privacy and transparency. Thus, using social media platforms such as Facebook to recruit transgender participants that otherwise would be challenging to reach is a viable and ethically sound alternative to traditional recruitment methods.