DO RESEARCH PAYMENTS INCREASE PERCEIVED COERCION? INITIAL RESULTS OF A NOVEL FINANCIAL INCENTIVE COERCION ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT

Purpose: Financial incentives (FI) increase recruitment into research, but may increase perceived coercion (PC) to participate.  In a large randomized controlled trial designed to explore effects of FI (Festinger et al. 2008), larger payments increased retention but did not increase PC as measured by a modified version of the MacArthur Admissions Experience Survey [MAES].  We also collected preliminary data on the novel Financial Incentive Coercion Assessment (FICA) instrument. The primary aim of this study was to obtain preliminary validation for the FICA.  To determine the appropriateness of FI in research, it is critical to develop a reliable measure of PC for FI in research.   

Method: The FICA differs from coercion measures such as MAES, in that it assesses: (a) research-related PC, and (b) PC in everyday, non-research-related scenarios.  In these scenarios, individuals are offered money, from low to high amounts, to perform tasks ranging from easy to onerous. For each scenario and the research FI, individuals choose one of 6 statements describing their perception of the offer (e.g., I felt like I had no choice but to agree; I felt it was tempting). Responses were dichotomized into PC or no PC.  The correspondence between PC in research and non-research situations may provide a more valid measure of research-related PC. Participants were recruited from an outpatient substance abuse treatment program. At baseline they were randomly assigned to receive $70, $100, $130, or $160 for completing a 6 month follow-up assessment.  Participants also completed the FICA during follow-up.

Result: 152 participants enrolled. Approximately 30% of subjects reported that the major reason for participating was “for the money,” but only 7 individuals felt that the FI was coercive. Individuals’ PC of the FI was not significantly correlated with the average non-research PC. Results from the MAES also showed a very low rate of PC among subjects, providing initial evidence of validity of the FICA.

Conclusion: The FICA provides a unique approach to measuring PC in research by relating it to how individuals perceive payments for non-research scenarios. Results from this pilot study show convergent validity with an existing measure of PC. In future research, we will continue to improve the FICA, and develop a continuum of PC for research and non-research scenarios.