Specifically, online social media has been highly successful in capturing audiences. ĭue to the near ubiquity of the Internet, it has become easier for people to engage in online surveys and research from the comfort and privacy of their own homes. Failure to recruit and retain a sufficient number of eligible participants can be costly, threatens internal and external validity of the study, and, most importantly, deprives the scientific community of knowledge and potentially useful interventions. These include geographical and time constraints, labor to recruit and retain participants, limited financial resources, and logistical difficulties associated with survey administration or intervention conduction. In addition to these HIV-specific challenges, there are major impediments and compromises associated with research in general.
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When combined, these issues create a formidable barrier to participation in research designed to examine these issues and decrease the generalizability of study findings. Moreover, HIV-positive individuals experience high levels of perceived stigma, elevated rates of depression, and increased risk of substance use. Although offering financial incentives can mitigate some of these factors, it can also incentivize fraudulent responses and repeat participation, which may diminish scientific validity. Numerous studies indicate several unique challenges that prevent HIV-positive individuals from participating in research, such as self-presentation bias, access to adequate transportation, low socioeconomic status, and mistrust of research. Recruiting and retaining HIV-positive research participants is a crucial yet challenging endeavor.