Reflections on Focus Group Participant Recruitment in an Indian Youth Mental Health Study

Authors

• Debanjali Saha, Department of Psychological Sciences, FLAME University, Pune, IndiaFollow
• Ketoki Mazumdar, Department of Psychological Sciences, FLAME University, Pune, IndiaFollow

Abstract

In this article, I (DS) critically reflected on my journey as an Indian graduate student while navigating dissonant expectations versus reality from the planning to data collection phase of my doctoral research, especially the challenges involved in the participant recruitment process for focus group discussions. The goal of my study was to understand the narratives of various stakeholders of the Indian higher education community on students’ mental health on Indian college campuses using Participatory Action Research strategy with the help of focus group discussions. Recruiting participants was a crucial first step in this endeavor. Six FGDs were conducted with a total of 19 participants. I experienced various challenges during the participant recruitment process such as mis-assessment of stakeholder interest levels, relying on a limited participant pool contacted through existing networks, having difficulties coming to consensus on focus group timings, and finally facing recruitment challenges specific to stakeholder groups such as administrators and students. We identified practical adjustments (such as expanding participant pool and conducting multiple smaller focus groups) and psychological factors (such as psychological flexibility) that enabled us to overcome these challenges and procure rich and meaningful data. Participant recruitment considerations for future researchers are outlined related to eliciting participants’ interest levels, developing psychological flexibility as a researcher, attempting varied recruitment strategies, maintaining good interpersonal communication, and being aware of practical considerations. With this article, we hope to contribute to a culture of openness surrounding researcher experiences and offer a behind-the-scenes view into participant recruitment processes to help other researchers navigate similar challenges.

Keywords

participant recruitment, reflection, focus group discussions, participatory action research, community mental health, university students, Global South, India

Author Bio(s)

Debanjali Saha is a Ph.D. scholar in the Department of Psychological Sciences at FLAME University, Pune. She studies self-compassion among Indian young adults and is interested in community mental health and interventions that can empower Indian youth with the tools of self-understanding and how to deal with various challenges. Her research interests stem from her experience as a mental health therapist counseling Indian youth and young adults dealing with stress, anxiety and depression using a compassion-focused approach in therapy. She has facilitated various psycho-educational workshops and written online articles related to self-compassion, mental health, counseling and well-being. She is a proponent of community-oriented and culturally-appropriate mental health programs that promote well-being among youth from developing countries like India. Debanjali's current work involves working with the Indian higher education community and discovering and implementing practical and enduring ways to incorporate emotional awareness, shared humanity and self-kindness into a habit for college and university students. Please direct correspondence to debanjali.saha@flame.edu.in

Dr. Ketoki Mazumdar is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at FLAME University, Pune, India. Her research focuses on gender and mental health, maternal mental health, parenting, the work–family interface, qualitative research methodologies, and community-based mental health. She has authored numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals and actively collaborates on interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research. Her research has been supported through several competitive national and international grants and fellowships.  Dr. Mazumdar is also a trained psychotherapist, working with individuals, couples, and families using feminist, relational, trauma-informed, and somatic approaches. Her work is driven by a commitment to ethical, culturally responsive research that bridges psychological science, clinical practice, and social justice.

Publication Date

8-2-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Saha, D., & Mazumdar, K. (2026). Reflections on focus group participant recruitment in an Indian youth mental health study. The Qualitative Report, 31(7), 6198-6213.

ORCID ID

Debanjali Saha: 0000-0002-5482-4369, Ketoki Mazumdar: 0000-0002-7635-2294