Challenges of recruiting adolescents for appearance-related research in a specialist tertiary hospital

Aim: To discuss the experiences and specific challenges of recruiting adolescents with appearance-altering conditions or injuries for qualitative interviews exploring appearance worry and an acceptability study testing a new online intervention designed to target appearance-related distress.Methods: Between August 2016 and January 2017, 88 families were invited to take part in the studies. Patients were approached in outpatient consultations at Australia’s largest paediatric tertiary hospital. A final 25 participants were recruited to at least one of the studies. Results: Successfully recruiting adolescents for research that explored appearance worry was challenging. Environmental barriers in the clinic environment and reluctance discussing appearance-related subject matter impacted clinical staff involvement and participant engagement. Misconceptions about resolving and managing appearance distress also influenced consent. Conclusions: This paper illustrates the complexities of recruiting young people for appearance-based research in a paediatric tertiary hospital and important considerations for successful recruitment. Recommendations highlight the important of early participant involvement, maximising the support of clinicians with study-specific training, being mindful of first impressions and adopting novel, non-traditional methodology and advertising strategies. Knowledge gained from this paper aims to assist future researchers conduct more successful appearance-based research in paediatric tertiary centres