Sampling methods : methodological issues involved in the recruitment of older people into a study of sexuality

Abstract

Objective: Sexual desire experienced by people over 65 years of age is a sensitive topic deserving serious and ethical research. The recruitment of participants into a potentially sensitive study poses particular difficulties including ethical challenges such as informed consent and confidentiality. This paper, drawing on a study of sexual desire in an older aged population group, outlines a range of purposive sampling methods that resulted in a high rate of recruitment, thus validating the methodology employed. The paper reports the outcomes of four recruitment strategies: word of mouth, advertising, community?based seminars and Sampling methods: methodological issues involved in the recruitment of older people into a study of sexuality direct solicitation that were employed in a study on sexual desire and ageing. The paper aims to encourage researchers and health professionals to consider looking more closely at topics often considered to be socially forbidden and outside the ambit of nursing research. Some of the ethical issues involved in recruitment for the study will also be considered. Setting An urban older population group living in the community.--- Subjects: Fifteen women and 21 men aged 65 years and over.--- Primary Argument: There is little research exploring sexual desire in older people due in part to the methodological demands inherent in conducting such research. Most research which has been undertaken in this area employs quantitative rather than qualitative methods. One reason for the paucity of qualitative data on sexual desire and ageing is the perception that older people are reluctant to discuss intimate details of their lives. In addition, older people are demographically situated within a marginalised and therefore vulnerable population group, creating an ethical challenge for health related research. Consequently, it is imperative that researchers give due consideration to accepted ethical principles that govern properly conducted research and that are critically important when researching a potentially vulnerable population group. This paper outlines four sampling strategies and discusses some of the ethical issues involved in recruiting older people into a qualitative study. The paper argues that the findings will add to an understanding of a key element of the experience of sexual desire in older people and some of the ethics involved in achieving that understanding. Conclusion The adoption of a variety of sampling approaches has been shown to be successful in recruiting members of the older population into a phenomenological study exploring sexual desire.