Challenges and Opportunities in Recruitment of Depressed Mothers: Lessons Learned from Three Exemplar Studies - Abstract
The negative impact of untreated postpartum depression on the health and well being of women and their families has been well documented. This underscores the need for developing and testing effective programs and interventions based on the best possible evidence. However, research involving women who may feel stigma over their depression, presents a wide variety of challenges, not the least of which is inadequate recruitment. Understanding potential barriers for recruitment and adopting methods to mitigate these challenges is crucial for planning efficient recruitment strategies. This paper will discuss some of the challenges associated with recruiting depressed mothers into intervention-based research and describe promising recruitment strategies uncovered via a realist review of literature. We will also discuss the lessons learned during the recruitment activities of three exemplar studies of women with postpartum depression.