Recruiting and Retaining African American Custodial Grandparents in University-Sponsored Research: An Opening Dialogue

Abstract

Studies on recruitment and retention of grandparents raising grandchildren into community-based research have received scant attention by scholars. The lack of attention is especially troubling considering the continuing growth of this family group, as well as the large proportion of custodial grandparents who are ethnically diverse and vulnerable to various health and psychological risks. Limited attention to recruitment and retention methods leads to reduced understanding of the full value of service interventions for custodial grandparents and the grandchildren they are raising. This article describes the recruitment and retention methods used in one longstanding research study involving African American custodial grandparents. The merits of establishing a research agenda on this topic are reviewed, along with specific suggestions for extending this line of inquiry.