Citation

Navratil JL, Green S, Loeber R, Lahey B. J. Child Fam. Stud. 1994; 3(1): 89-106.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF02233913

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

A number of techniques are described to prevent attrition of four different categories of subjects in a longitudinal study of deviant behavior. Difficult to schedule subjects required persistence, empathy and flexibility to ensure their continued participation. Reluctant subjects were persuaded to participate by taking special care to build rapport with that family. Subjects who initially refused were "turned around" by assuming that a subject's refusal one year was circumstantial, and approaching that subject the following year with personalized correspondence that emphasized the importance of their contribution to the research. Persistence was an important factor in successfully locating and recruiting transient subjects .