You are invited to participate in a study facilitated by Dr. Ifeyinwa Mbakogu, Principal Investigator and Dr. Nancy Ross as Co-Principal Investigator in the School of Social Work at Dalhousie University. The purpose of this research is to extend our knowledge base for providing equitable mental health and substance use (MHSU) care to marginalised groups, this time, youth of African Descent and their family/caregivers in Nova Scotia. In general, there remains a paucity of empirical data related to how youth of African Descent and their caregivers’ access (or may not access) MHSU care. We hope that insight generated from this study will make a significant contribution in identifying and removing barriers to health care delivery as well as align mental health and substance use services to the multiple identities and associations of youth, families, and caregivers of African Descent. Health care providers in Nova Scotia that are over the age of 18 are eligible to participate in this survey. This study is funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research (CIHR). Data generated from this survey will be shared with key stakeholders in health service delivery at the provincial and federal level, CIHR, academic/research institutions and communities of African Descent. The research team will also publish information generated from the study in peer reviewed journals, as special reports, media reports and conference submissions. As a participant in the research, you will be requested to complete a ten-minute online survey and
answer questions using an online software called Opinio. All responses will be saved on a secure Dalhousie server and processed using Stata Statistical software. The survey will not request for your name, and no grouping with less than 10 responses will be reported. Your participation in this research is entirely voluntary. You do not have to answer questions that you do not want to answer. Also, assuming you no longer want to participate in the survey, you are welcome to end the survey at any time. All you need to do is close your browser. The research team will not include incomplete surveys in their analyses. However, if you do complete your survey, and change your mind later, we will be unable to remove the information you provided because the surveys are completely anonymously, which makes it difficult to know which submitted survey is yours. Information that you provide to us in the survey will be collected anonymously, which means that no questions asked in the survey will request identifying details such as your name or email address. Only the research team will have access to the survey results. We will analyse, describe, and share general findings in workshops, conference presentations and scientific journals. We will destroy all information six months after completing or reporting the results.
The risks associated with participating in this study are minimal. However, should answering some of the questions trigger emotional discomfort, we recommend that you phone the Nova Scotia helpline at 902-429-8167 or 1-888-429-8167 should you require a counselor or therapist to discuss these feelings.
There will be no direct benefit to you in participating in this research and you will not receive
compensation. The research, however, will contribute to new knowledge that will help to provide culturally inclusive and equitable mental health and substance use care to youth of African Descent, their families, and caregivers.
If you have questions prior to completing this survey, you can discuss them with Dr. Ifeyinwa Mbakogu or Dr. Nancy Ross. If you have questions after completing the survey, please feel free to send an email to Voices@dal.ca or Ifeyinwa.Mbakogu@dal.ca or Nancy.Ross@dal.ca.
Note: Healthcare providers of African Descent who are interested in engaging in further interview sessions with the investigators to discuss mental health and substance use care delivery to youth of African Descent, their families, and caregivers, can contact the investigators via email to discuss this as the survey is anonymous.
Thank you.
If you agree to complete the survey, please continue to the next page
Doing so implies that you have provided consent. | 