Testing key underlying assumptions of respondent-driven sampling within a real-world network of people who inject drugs
Testing key underlying assumptions of respondent-driven sampling within a real-world network of people who inject drugs
In this study, we collected mixed method social network data alongside a survey of people who inject drugs (PWID) to assess key assumptions of respondent-driven sampling (RDS). We found adherence to some assumptions and non-adherence to others. Specifically, sampling did occur through a connected network of PWID and the reported degree size of survey participants did correlate with network degree and likelihood of recruitment. However, recruitment was significantly more likely via a multiplex relationship and recruitmen dyads were significantly more likely to live in the same geographical area. In addition, people actively injecting drugs, those with ‘two lives’ and ‘dealers’, may have been isolated from the survey. We believe this is the first mixed-method social network study to report an assessment of the assumptions of RDS. We highlight the potential value of network data in understanding the validity of population-level estimates in surveys using RDS.
people who inject drugs, Respondent-driven sampling, sampling bias, social network
91-102
Buchanan, Ryan M.
9499f713-f684-4046-be29-83cd9d6f834d
Cook, Charlotte
85b6be1f-823b-4f2b-9b4f-dc787fc4f037
Khakoo, Salim I.
6c16d2f5-ae80-4d9b-9100-6bfb34ad0273
Parkes, Julie
a3513cd3-3837-4304-8c94-51c8e15a1f5d
2022
Buchanan, Ryan M.
9499f713-f684-4046-be29-83cd9d6f834d
Cook, Charlotte
85b6be1f-823b-4f2b-9b4f-dc787fc4f037
Khakoo, Salim I.
6c16d2f5-ae80-4d9b-9100-6bfb34ad0273
Parkes, Julie
a3513cd3-3837-4304-8c94-51c8e15a1f5d
Buchanan, Ryan M., Cook, Charlotte, Khakoo, Salim I. and Parkes, Julie
(2022)
Testing key underlying assumptions of respondent-driven sampling within a real-world network of people who inject drugs.
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 25 (1), .
(doi:10.1080/13645579.2020.1857964).
Abstract
In this study, we collected mixed method social network data alongside a survey of people who inject drugs (PWID) to assess key assumptions of respondent-driven sampling (RDS). We found adherence to some assumptions and non-adherence to others. Specifically, sampling did occur through a connected network of PWID and the reported degree size of survey participants did correlate with network degree and likelihood of recruitment. However, recruitment was significantly more likely via a multiplex relationship and recruitmen dyads were significantly more likely to live in the same geographical area. In addition, people actively injecting drugs, those with ‘two lives’ and ‘dealers’, may have been isolated from the survey. We believe this is the first mixed-method social network study to report an assessment of the assumptions of RDS. We highlight the potential value of network data in understanding the validity of population-level estimates in surveys using RDS.
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More information
Accepted/In Press date: 26 November 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 January 2021
Published date: 2022
Additional Information:
Funding Information: RB was supported by an NIHR doctoral fellowship award and a research fellowship from Gilead LTD.
Keywords:
people who inject drugs, Respondent-driven sampling, sampling bias, social network
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 485092
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/485092
ISSN: 1364-5579
PURE UUID: 3122a195-f905-434f-8256-711a2b532a8f
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Date deposited: 29 Nov 2023 17:35
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 03:47
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Contributors
Author:
Charlotte Cook
Author:
Julie Parkes
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