2.Informed Consent for Pilot Study
Purpose and description: This pilot study is a part of a full research project, which aims to explore how parents’ adverse childhood experiences may influence their parenting behaviours and affect their adolescent children’s emotional and behavioural development. The purpose of the pilot study is to allow participants the opportunity to provide feedback on the instructions as well as the items on the questionnaire, the time frame in completing the questionnaire and the user-friendly format of the online questionnaire and the structure and formatting of the paper-based questionnaire. This overall research is being completed by Mrs. Shanikee Pinnock-McGrowder, in partial fulfillment of the requirements of MPhil in Social Policy at the University of the West Indies, Mona. The research project is being supervised by Dr. Kenisha Nelson.
Procedures:
You will be asked to complete an online or a paper-based questionnaire which will be the same questionnaire that has been designed for the full research project. The questionnaire will take around 30-45 minutes to complete. There are no “right” or “wrong” answers. You can only submit one questionnaire. For the online format, methods will be used to block individuals from filling out the questionnaire more than once from the same IP address as well as implementing software such as reCAPTCHA to prevent spam.
After completing the questionnaire, you will be asked to complete a 6-question evaluation questionnaire for the research project’s questionnaire.
Risks:
You may experience greater than minimal risk of emotional discomfort from completing the adverse childhood experiences questionnaire. An example of one of the questions on the adverse childhood experiences questionnaire is: “How often did your parents or adults in your home ever slap, hit, beat, kick, or physically hurt each other?”
If at any time you experience any form of distress, please stop completing the questionnaire and make contact with any of the following service providers. The services provided are free of cost:
· Child Protection and Family Services Agency-876-948-6678
· National Parenting Commission-876-560-9272
· Jamaica Mental Health & Suicide Hotline-888-639-5433
· Victim Support Division-940-4967
· Woman Inc- 929-9038 (24 hrs.)
· Mrs. Wright (Clinical Psychologist)-469-6327
Debriefing information is provided at the end of completing the questionnaire. The information contains the list of service partners/agencies that you could access free of cost, if you experienced any form of distress when completing the questionnaire. It will also provide different types of coping strategies that you can try to regulate your emotions.
Benefits:
There are no direct benefits to participating in this research project. However, there are two indirect
benefits. The first indirect benefit of your participation is that this research may be a catalyst for
influencing future ACEs research that explores the lasting impact of childhood trauma on adult
survivors in Jamaica so that this problem may be better explored and understood. Secondly, the results of this research may contribute to knowledge creation in this subject area.
Right to withdraw or refusal to participate:
Participation is voluntary and you are free to take as much time as you need to make a decision with regards to participating. You also have the right to withdraw your participation without penalty and the information provided will be discarded. If you are completing the paper-based questionnaire, please therefore take note of your questionnaire number, which is in the left-hand corner of the first page and do not share with anyone. Your questionnaire number will be needed in the event that you wish to withdraw your participation after completing and submitting your questionnaire. If you are completing the online questionnaire, you are able to withdraw your participation before submitting the questionnaire online by closing the survey window or by clicking the "exit" button. However, the disadvantage is that it will not allow you to withdraw your participation after completing the questionnaire and submitting it. As an alternative to the online format of the questionnaire, you can choose to complete the paper-based questionnaire instead of the online questionnaire.
Compensation: There is no compensation for participation in this study.
Confidentiality: No identifying information such as your name will be required to complete the questionnaire. Your responses to the questions on the questionnaire will be strictly confidential and your participation will be anonymous. Completed surveys will be stored on a computer that will be protected with a secure password and will only be accessed by the student Researcher and her Supervisor, Dr. Kenisha Nelson. The paper-based format questionnaire will be stored in a password protected safe. The safe will be stored in an office space that only the researcher has access to. After completing the research paper, the data will be stored on a password-protected computer and will be kept for a period of five (5) years for the purpose of data entry, analysis, being referred to by the researcher and for publication in accordance with the UWI Policy and Procedures on Research Ethics (2011). The hard copies of the questionnaire, however, will be shredded after the research project is submitted to the Office of the Graduate School and the postgraduate degree is conferred. The security measures for the platform that will be used for the online format of the questionnaire are as follows: The data will be securely stored on the platform which has certified data centers that follows good online security and technical practices. Additionally, the online platform will allow for the data to be securely transmitted over internet networks and for user login details to be securely protected.
Contact Details for the Researcher/Principal Investigator
If you have any questions regarding the research project, you may contact the principal investigator, Dr. Kenisha Nelson by email at knelson@utech.edu.jm or the Researcher, Mrs. Shanikee Pinnock-McGrowder, at shanikee.pinnock@myuwimona.edu.jm or at 876-838-2952.
Rights as a Research Participant:
For independent advice on your rights as a research participant please contact Professor Helen Trotman-Edwards, Chair of the Mona Campus Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, (Tel: (876) 970-4892, email: mcrec@uwimona.edu.jm).
Statement of DECLARATION:
1. I have read this Informed Consent Form (or this Informed Consent Form has been read to me) and I understand its contents. A copy has been given to me (upon my request) and by clicking "yes" indicates that I agree to participate in this research project.
2. I have been given time to consider my involvement as a participant in this research project
Compensation: There is no compensation for participation in this study.
Confidentiality: No identifying information such as your name will be required to complete the questionnaire. Your responses to the questions on the questionnaire will be strictly confidential and your participation will be anonymous. Completed surveys will be stored on a computer that will be protected with a secure password and will only be accessed by the student Researcher and her Supervisor, Dr. Kenisha Nelson. The paper-based format questionnaire will be stored in a password protected safe. The safe will be stored in an office space that only the researcher has access to. After completing the research paper, the data will be stored on a password-protected computer and will be kept for a period of five (5) years for the purpose of data entry, analysis, being referred to by the researcher and for publication in accordance with the UWI Policy and Procedures on Research Ethics (2011). The hard copies of the questionnaire, however, will be shredded after the research project is submitted to the Office of the Graduate School and the postgraduate degree is conferred. The security measures for the platform that will be used for the online format of the questionnaire are as follows: The data will be securely stored on the platform which has certified data centers that follows good online security and technical practices. Additionally, the online platform will allow for the data to be securely transmitted over internet networks and for user login details to be securely protected.
Contact Details for the Researcher/Principal Investigator
If you have any questions regarding the research project, you may contact the principal investigator, Dr. Kenisha Nelson by email at knelson@utech.edu.jm or the Researcher, Mrs. Shanikee Pinnock-McGrowder, at shanikee.pinnock@myuwimona.edu.jm or at 876-838-2952.
Rights as a Research Participant:
For independent advice on your rights as a research participant please contact Professor Helen Trotman-Edwards, Chair of the Mona Campus Research Ethics Committee, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, (Tel: (876) 970-4892, email: mcrec@uwimona.edu.jm).
Statement of DECLARATION:
1. I have read this Informed Consent Form (or this Informed Consent Form has been read to me) and I understand its contents. A copy has been given to me (upon my request) and by clicking "yes" indicates that I agree to participate in this research project.
2. I have been given time to consider my involvement as a participant in this research project