Coping behaviour of low-income country researchers versus high-income country researchers in global health collaborations

In this study, Coping behaviour of low-income country researchers in global health collaborations with high-income country researchers, an online survey of low-income country researchers was conducted to investigate what factors influence their integration into collaborations with researchers from high-income countries. Data was collected among 532 low-income country researchers to measure their propensity to integrate into these collaborations while facing various persistent conditions of inequality. This propensity was identified as integration orientation. This study applied the conceptual parallels between this setting and the acculturation setting to measure integration orientation outcomes realised from individual, group, task and community level enablers of equitable research. The results, including structural equation analysis demonstrated that community-level enablers are a more significant predictor of individual integration orientation than other enablers. The study extends acculturation theory to a context where non-dominant individuals’ integration into a dominant in-group is strongly associated with meeting their wider community-level goals, beyond their individual benefit. It recommends policy and practice actions for stakeholders to respond accordingly