Relationships and communication in minority participation in research: multidimensional and multidirectional.

We examined the range and nature of investigators' communication and relationship building as they recruit minority participants in their research. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with 33 investigators conducting research with human participants. The response rate was 77%. Investigators described several kinds of relationships that are formed or called upon when including minority participants in research. The relationships ranged from study-related, short-term interactions geared solely to facilitate recruitment to others that were longer term, extending beyond a particular project. The data suggest that a range of relationships is important as investigators seek to include minority populations in research. These relationships can both facilitate the recruitment process as well as aid in the interpretation of research findings.