Rekruttering og deltakelse i kvalitativ forskning: Tjenestemottakere og pårørende som deltakere

The theme of this chapter is how to encourage service recipients and family caregivers to participate in research within the substance abuse and mental health field. The aim is to highlight the challenges in recruitment and participation in a qualitative social science study and to reflect on how these challenges can be addressed. This is done through autoethnographic methods. The data consists of own notes after meetings, telephone conversations and focus group interviews, in addition to email correspondence with relevant persons. The empirical material culminates in three main findings: “Traditional recruitment strategy”, “Recruitment via service recipients” and “Performing focus groups: Need for and willingness to adapt”. The challenges within the main themes are discussed using a reflective perspective. The challenges in the recruitment process were in contrast to the interest, motivation and goodwill shown by the participants during the data collection, hence the discussion is also critically oriented towards resource allocation and conditions for maintaining quality in the recruitment process.