RECRUITMENT CHALLENGES IN STUDYING LATE-LIFE DEPRESSION - DO COMMUNITY SAMPLES ADEQUATELY REPRESENT DEPRESSED OLDER ADULTS

Although research on late-life depression is burgeoning, little attent ion has been given to the sampling and recruitment obstacles encounter ed in trying to enlist the participation of older adults in such studi es. In this article, the authors summarize the response rates of 15 re cent epidemiological studies and 100 descriptive studies examining lat e-life depression among community-dwelling older adults. These studies excluded approximately 25-35% of potential participants. The authors present evidence suggesting that because depressed older adults may be especially likely to refuse research invitations, researchers may ove rlook or underestimate important correlates of depression. In addition , the authors describe several strategies for enhancing recruitment ef forts.