Investigators: Principal Investigator: Wei-min Grace Blocher, MS. Major Professor: Nathaniel Wade, Ph.D
Facilitators: Paul Ascheman, LeAnn Mills, MS, and Scott Young, MS Research Assistants: Jeritt Tucker, Ryan Day, Marilyn Cornish, BS, Brian Post, MCS, Kaitlin Budnik, Annie Foster, and Analisa Ortiz
This is a research study. Please take your time in deciding if you would like to participate. Please feel free to ask questions at any time.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this study is to provide a more complete understanding of how effectiveness programs are in increasing students’ knowledge of factors relating to mental health and how to get help for personal problems.
DESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURES
There are three phases of this study. Completion of an earlier phase is required to continue in a later phase.
Phase I: You will complete an online questionnaire about yourself and your thoughts and feelings toward mental health services. This questionnaire will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
Phase II: You will either be assigned to attend a program or to a control group. Assignments will be made randomly. If you are assigned to the control group, you will complete questionnaires online, which will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
If you are assigned to attend a program, you will attend, along with 10 to 20 other participants, a program lasting for 1.5 hours. The program will be delivered by an advanced counseling
psychology doctoral student, who will be supervised by a licensed psychologist. During this program, you will be given the opportunity to evaluate your well-being, to learn factors relating to mental health, and to learn about resources to cope with life problems. You will also have the opportunity to participate in discussion on these topics, however, you are not required to discuss or disclose any particular information during the program. What you say during the program is entirely up to you. At the end of the program, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire
about yourself, your evaluation of the program, and your thoughts and feelings toward mental health services. These questionnaires take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete. Phase III: Approximately two months after the program, all participants will receive an email that will ask you to complete another set of questionnaires via the Internet. This follow-up questionnaire will take approximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
RISKS
Participation in this study may raise sensitive issues that could be uncomfortable for some individuals. There is an additional risk that participation could stimulate feelings or experiences that might be uncomfortable. If this occurs, please be aware that there are free counseling services through the Student Counseling Service at Iowa State University (294-5056). BENEFITS
Information given during the program may be beneficial for your knowledge regarding mental health and campus resources. It is hoped that the information gained from this study will benefit society by helping practitioners and researchers better understand factors related to effective outreach interventions.
COSTS AND COMPENSATION
There are no costs associated with participating in this study. You will be receive course credits. Compensation for the completion of phase I and III is one credit for each phase, and
compensation for the completion of phase II is three credits for those that are assigned to attend the program and one credit for those assigned to the control group. You must complete an earlier phase in order to participate in a later phase of the study.
PARTICIPANT RIGHTS
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and you may refuse to participate or leave the study at any time. If you decide to not participate in the study or leave the study early, it will not result in any penalty. However, you may not, be entitled to the additional course credits for additional phases of this study. If you participate in phase II program and decide to leave early, you will receive one credit for your participation).
CONFIDENTIALITY
Records identifying participants will be kept confidential to the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations and will not be made publicly available. However, the Institutional Review Board (a committee that reviews and approves human subject research studies) may inspect and/or copy your records for quality assurance and data analysis. These records may contain private information.
To ensure confidentiality to the extent permitted by law, the following measures will be taken. You will provide your email address for contact purposes. You will not need to provide other identifying information. Any record of email addresses will be destroyed after the study has been completed. Although your email address will not be connected with questionnaire response, you will need to provide the middle nine digits of your student ID number in order for
researchers to match up your responses from different time points. In addition, all data will be secured in password protected computers in locked offices. Access to the data will be limited to those research assistants who are being directly supervised by the PI. If the results are published, your identity will remain confidential.
QUESTIONS OR PROBLEMS
You are encouraged to ask questions at any time during this study.
For further information about the study, contact Wei-min Grace Blocher, MS (515-294- 1898 or [email protected]) or Dr. Nathaniel Wade (515-294-1455 or
If you have any questions about the rights of research subjects or research-related injury, please contact the IRB Administrator(515)294-4566, [email protected], or Director, (515) 294-3115, Office of Responsible Research, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa 50011. ****************************************************************************** INSTRUCTIONS
A progress bar at the bottom of each page will indicate how much of the survey you have completed.
If you would like to participate in this study, please click the 'next' button at the bottom of this page. By clicking the 'next' button and answering the survey questions, this indicates that you voluntarily agree to participate in this study, that the study has been explained to you, that you have been given the time to read the document[,] and that your questions have been satisfactorily answered. If you decide at any point that you would not like to continue in the study, you can use the 'exit survey' button at the top of each page of the survey to end your participation.
APPENDIX D: MEASURES Outcome Measures
These questionnaires were administrated before, after, and at a two month follow-up of the program.
ISCI
Below is a list of issues people commonly bring to counseling. How likely would you be to seek counseling if you were experiencing these problems?
Very unlikely Unlikely Likely Very likely
1. Weight control 1 2 3 4
2. Excessive alcohol use 1 2 3 4
3. Relationship differences 1 2 3 4
4. Concerns about sexuality 1 2 3 4
5. Depression 1 2 3 4
6. Conflict with parents 1 2 3 4
7. Speech anxiety 1 2 3 4 8. Difficulties dating 1 2 3 4 9. Choosing a major 1 2 3 4 10 Difficulty in sleeping 1 2 3 4 11. Drug problems 1 2 3 4 12. Inferiority feelings 1 2 3 4 13. Test anxiety 1 2 3 4
14. Difficulty with friends 1 2 3 4
15. Academic work procrastination 1 2 3 4
16. Self-understanding 1 2 3 4
17. Loneliness 1 2 3 4
ATSPPHS
To what extent do you agree or disagree with the statements below:
Disagree Partly Partly Agree Disagree Agree 1. If I believed I was having a mental breakdown, my first inclination
would be to get professional attention.
1 2 3 4
2. The idea of talking about problems with a psychologist strikes me as a poor way to get rid of emotional conflicts.
1 2 3 4
3. If I were experiencing a serious emotional crisis at this point in my life. I would be confident that I could find relief in psychotherapy.
1 2 3 4
4. There is something admirable in the attitude of a person who is willing to cope with his or her conflicts and fears without resorting to professional help.
1 2 3 4
5. I would want to get psychological help if I were worried or upset for a long period of time.
1 2 3 4
6. I might want to have psychological counseling in the future. 1 2 3 4
7. A person with an emotional problem is not likely to solve it alone; he or she is likely to solve it with professional help.
1 2 3 4
8. Considering the time and expense involved in psychotherapy, it would have doubtful value for a person like me.
1 2 3 4
9. A person should work out his or her own problems; getting psychological counseling would be a last resort.
1 2 3 4
10. Personal and emotional troubles, like many things, tend to work out by themselves.
DES