Considerations for conducting online focus groups on sensitive topics

ABSTRACT In response to concerns about the use of online focus groups, particularly around sensitive topics research, we provide two case examples of sensitive topics research that pivoted to online focus groups amid university ethics restrictions due to COVID-19 concerns. We begin by contextualizing the studies, one of which used the more traditional focus group method while the other employed a mix of focus groups and a variation on the World Cafe method, termed Community Cafes. We discuss issues like online platform choice (Microsoft Teams versus Zoom), security, and considerations for effective participant communication and connection. We demonstrate the effectiveness of online focus group data collection for sensitive research in two disciplines as well as the benefits to participants. We conclude by providing considerations and recommendations based on our own learnings for researchers wanting to conduct online focus group research on sensitive topics. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Continuing Nursing Research During a Pandemic.

The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic disrupted traditional research practices with the cessation of face-to-face contact with study participants. Researchers needed to respond with alternative methods to continue nurse-led clinical research. A rapid pivot to remote processes for recruitment, enrollment, data collection, and participant incentives can enable research to continue despite restrictions on in-person activities. Technology offers innovative methods in meeting current research needs but is not without challenges and continued need for ethics evaluation.

Effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Stimulant Use and Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence Among Men Who Have Sex With Men Living With HIV: Qualitative Focus Group Study.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that economic, social, and psychological circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic may have a serious impact on behavioral health. Men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionally impacted by HIV and stimulant use, the co-occurrence of which heightens HIV transmission risk and undermines nationwide treatment strategies as prevention efforts for ending the HIV epidemic. There is a paucity of information regarding the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the substance use and HIV medication adherence in this key vulnerable population-MSM who use stimulants and are living with HIV. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this qualitative study was to identify ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected stimulant use and antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among a sample of MSM living with HIV. METHODS: Two focus groups were conducted in August 2020 via videoconferencing technology compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Potential participants from an established research participant registry at State University of New York Downstate Health Sciences University were invited and screened for study participation on the basis of inclusion criteria. A semistructured interview guide was followed. A general inductive approach was used to analyze the data. Findings in two general areas of interest, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on stimulant use and ART adherence, emerged directly from the raw data. RESULTS: A total of 12 ethnically diverse participants over the age of 25 years took part in the study. Results were heterogeneous in terms of the effects of the pandemic on both stimulant use and ART adherence among MSM living with HIV. Some men indicated increased or sustained stimulant use and ART adherence, and others reported decreased stimulant use and ART adherence. Reasons for these behavioral changes ranged from concerns about their own health and that of their loved ones to challenges brought about by the lack of daily structure during the lockdown phase of the pandemic and emotion regulation difficulties. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a differential impact on stimulant use and ART medication adherence among MSM living with HIV. The reasons for behavioral change identified in this study may be salient intervention targets to support ART medication adherence and lower stimulant use among MSM in the aftermath of the of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as beyond.

Going virtual: adapting in-person interactive focus groups to the online environment: [version 2;peer review: 2 approved]

Restrictions on social interaction and travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected how researchers approach fieldwork and data collection. Whilst online focus groups have received attention since the 2000s as a method for qualitative data collection, relatively little of the relevant literature appears to have made use of now ubiquitous video calling software and synchronous, interactive discussion tools. Our own experiences in organising fieldwork aimed at understanding the impact of different ‘future-proofing’ strategies for the European agri-food system during this period resulted in several methodological changes being made at short notice. We present an approach to converting in-person focus group to a virtual methodology and provide a checklist for researchers planning their own online focus groups. Our findings suggest data are comparable to in-person focus groups and factors influencing data quality during online focus groups can be safeguarded. There are several key steps, both before and during the focus groups, which can be taken to ensure the smooth running of such events. We share our reflections on this approach and provide a resource for other researchers moving to online-only data collection.