3.3. Target Sample Size vs. Final Sample Size: Challenges
RECRUITMENT
Due to difficulties in the recruitment process, recruitment to the control groups was often delayed and thus they contain a smaller number of AYCs than the intervention group/s. Additionally, the amount of reported data from the control groups differs between the countries, making a comparison more difficult. As can be seen from The methodological limitations of the study include the recruitment difficulties, screen failures and high levels of dropouts, both prior to the group start (e.g., in Sweden and Switzerland), as well as during the intervention (e.g., in Slovenia and the UK). While acknowledging all the challenges and efforts put in place, it should be recognised as a limitation that the number of participants to the study was lower than originally expected and that this influenced the power of the quantitative analysis results. The total final sample size (107 in the intervention group and 106 in the control group) was less than half of the original target sample size (263 in the intervention group and 263 in the control group) required to perform in-depth statistical analyses. Although the amended study protocols accommodated smaller sample sizes, the methodological limitation remains.The recruitment process proved to be challenging in all partner countries, for a variety of reasons common to many of the countries involved, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic: Low levels of awareness and invisible young carers (in Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Slovenia) imply significant efforts in engaging relevant stakeholders, as it requires a prior time investment in raising awareness on the issue of young carers and on the need to support them before being able to engage stakeholders in the recruitment process.Uncertainty about the prevalence of AYCs (in Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden): The prevalence of young people recognised as young carers in partner countries (between 6 and 8%) was an estimation, which brought uncertainty about where and how to approach AYCs in the society. The recruitment channels used made it necessary to reach a very high number of young people in order to have the opportunity to recruit the target number of AYCs.Willingness of AYCs to participate in the study (in Italy, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Switzerland): Many partners underlined that it is challenging to convince participants in the age range of this study to participate in this research, both because of a lack of recognition of themselves as carers and because of their reluctance to participate in activities where they have to expose themselves and their emotions. In Switzerland, for example, some AYCs who dropped out from the intervention reported that they preferred to use their (limited) free time for other types of activities, e.g., sport.Limited capacity of schools (including school staff) to participate in a research project (in the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK): The involvement of schools, while strategic in most of the countries involved, proved to be challenging. On the one hand, the decision-making processes in schools can be complicated and often require approvals from different levels of the organisation. On the other hand, schools and teachers are often involved in a variety of projects and activities, which does not allow them much time to dedicate to other actions, such as externally funded research, such as the ME-WE project. The COVID-19 pandemic posed further challenges to school staff, who needed to prioritise other things ahead of the ME-WE project.