Perspectives on Recruitment and Representativeness in Forensic Psychiatric Research

Sven H Pedersen; Henrik Bergman; Johan Berlin; Thomas Hartvigsson

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2021.647450

Perspectives on Recruitment and Representativeness in Forensic Psychiatric Research

Front Psychiatry. 2021 Jun 17:12:647450. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.647450. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Sven H Pedersen^{1

2}, Henrik Bergman^{1

2

3}, Johan Berlin^{1

4

5}, Thomas Hartvigsson^{1

6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry and Neurochemistry, Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
² Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
³ Unit of Physiotherapy, Department of Health and Rehabilitation, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
⁴ Lund Clinical Research on Externalizing and Developmental Psychopathology, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
⁵ Department of Research and Development, Regional Forensic Psychiatric Clinic, Växjö, Sweden.
⁶ Department of Philosophy, Linguistics and Theory of Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
⁷ School of Philosophy and Art History, Faculty of Humanities, University of Essex, Colchester, United Kingdom.

Abstract

Participant representativeness and statistical power are crucial elements of robust research with human participants, both of which relate to the successful recruitment of research participants. Nevertheless, such core features may often not be fully reported or duly considered in psychiatric research. Building on our experiences of collecting data in the context of forensic mental health services, we discuss issues regarding participant recruitment and representativeness in our field with its particular characteristics. A quick sampling and brief overview of the literature in four specialized forensic mental health journals is presented, demonstrating that published manuscripts rarely describe the data in sufficient detail for the reader to assess sample representativeness and statistical power. This lack of transparency leads not only to difficulties in interpreting the research; it also entails risks relating to the already meager evidence base of forensic mental health services being relevant only to a subset of patients. Accordingly, we provide suggestions for increased transparency in reporting and improved recruitment of research participants. We also discuss the balance of ethical considerations pertinent to the pursuit of increased participation rates in forensic mental health research.

Keywords: forensic psychiatry; interpretability; representativeness; research ethics; research participation; transparency.