PARENT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Evaluating the acceptability of an online parenting program (‘Partners in Parenting -Education’) to support parents of adolescents who refuse school in the context of anxiety and/or depression
Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Marie Yap, The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus. P: (03) 9905 0723 E: marie.yap@monash.edu.
Co-investigators: Associate Professor Glenn Melvin, School of Psychology, Faculty of Health, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus. P: (03) 9244 5625, E: glenn.melvin@deakin.edu.au.
Dr Mairead Cardamone-Breen, The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus. P: (03) 9905 1250, E: Mairead.cardamone-breen@monash.edu.
Student Researcher: Anna Smout, Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) candidate The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, E: anna.smout@monash.edu.
Program manager: Kayan Skinner, The Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton Campus, E: kayan.skinner@monash.edu
Invitation to participate in research
You are invited to take part in research being conducted by Monash University as part of a Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology) research project. Please read this Explanatory Statement in full before deciding whether or not to participate. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of the project, please contact Anna Smout (anna.smout@monash.edu) or Dr Mairead Cardamone-Breen (Mairead.cardamone-breen@monash.edu; P: (03) 9905 1250).
What does the research involve?
This study aims to evaluate the acceptability of an online parenting program optimised for school refusal (‘Partners in Parenting - Education’/’PiP-Ed’). PiP-Ed is designed to support parents of teenagers who have difficulty attending school due to anxiety, depression, or emotional distress (sometimes called ‘school refusal’, ‘school can’t’, or ‘school phobia’). PiP -Ed aims to increase parent confidence to support their teenager by providing personalised feedback about their current parenting, equipping them with evidence-based parenting strategies to respond to anxiety, depression, and ‘school refusal’.
What will I be asked to do?
- Review this explanatory statement and the inclusion criteria to determine your eligibility for this study.
- Complete an online registration and consent form. This will include providing some demographic information and details about you and your teenager. You’ll also read the study requirements and provide online consent.
- Complete an online survey (30-45mins) about your parenting, your mental health, your teenager’s mental health, your teenager’s school attendance, and the impact this has on your family.
- Receive individually-tailored feedback about your parenting that highlights areas where you are doing well and areas for development. You will be given access to the online parenting program (online modules) to support you in making changes. Based on your survey answers, specific modules will be recommended for you to complete.
- Complete 6-8 weekly online modules (20-35mins) about different topics related to parenting.
- You will also have access to 5 additional modules on related topics which you can complete at any stage, if you wish.
- Complete an online survey once you finish the program (20-30 mins), similar to the first survey you complete.
Who is being asked to participate?
Parents or guardians of a teenager aged 12-18 years who experiences difficulty attending school due to anxiety, depression, or emotional distress, are invited to take part in this study. Your teenager will not be directly involved in this study.
In order to take part in the program, you will also need to:
- Be proficient in English
- Live in Australia
- Have regular access to the Internet, a telephone, and email.
Is there anyone who cannot participate?
All parents who meet the criteria above are welcome to sign up and access the online program. However, please note that we recommend all families to also seek professional support from a health or education professional alongside this program.
In particular, the program content is not tailored to address the needs of parents of teenagers who experience:
- Serious mental health problems that require urgent care before anxiety, depression, or school refusal can be addressed.
- Parents of teenagers who live with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or an intellectual disability.
Source of funding
This research project has been funded by Monash University.
What if I change my mind?
Participation in this research is completely voluntary. You do not have to agree to participate if you do not want to. You have the right to stop your involvement in this project at any time, you just need to tell a member of the research team. You do not need to provide a reason why. Changing your mind will not affect the relationship you or your teenager have with Monash University, now or in the future. If you leave the project, we would still like to use any information you have given us, unless you tell us not to. You can request that your data (i.e. survey) be withdrawn prior to the final report being written in March 2023. After this time, you will not be able to withdraw your data.
What are the benefits?
This project is designed to equip parents with evidence-based parenting strategies to respond to anxiety, depression, and ‘school refusal’ in their teenager. You may benefit from having access to educational content encouraging positive parenting strategies to identify healthier ways of relating with your adolescent, and to implement positive behavioural changes for yourself. Your feedback on the program will help us further improve it and increase its benefits for other families in the future.
Are there any risks?
The risks of participating in this research are low. It is possible that the program or assessment activities bring up issues which are uncomfortable, upsetting, or frustrating for you. If this happens, please let the researchers know. They can talk with you about what has upset you and give you information about where else to seek support. You are also welcome to withdraw from the study at any time. If you do become upset or distressed, please seek support from a family member or friend, or call one of the helplines below:
Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Parentline: 13 22 89 (8am – midnight, 7 days a week)
There is also a small risk that your teen experiences a deterioration in their mental health while you are engaged in this study. To minimise this risk, we prefer that your teen is in treatment with a mental health practitioner or under the care of a medical professional while you are taking part in this study.
Although unlikely, there is also a risk to your privacy through breaches of confidentiality, particularly if there is a risk of harm to yourself or others that cannot be prevented without breaching confidentiality. If we believe that yourself, your child, or someone else is at risk of harm (e.g. child abuse, self-harm), we are bound by professional codes of ethics or required by law to take reasonable action to prevent this harm occurring, even if it means breaching confidentiality. If this is necessary, we will try to discuss the situation with you first.
Reimbursement
Upon finishing the PiP -Ed program, you will be invited to complete a follow-up survey. You may also be invited to participate in an interview.
What about privacy?
We respect your right to privacy. Information collected in this project will only be accessible by researchers named on the project. The only exception to this is transcriptions of interviews (if you choose to take part) which will be conducted by a reputable and trustworthy third-party transcription service. The service will only have access to the interview recording while they are completing the transcription, after which the files will be deleted. Third-party services are used as part of the PiP -Ed website and program to capture the data entered into the website, and communicate with you via email and SMS. These services all adhere to strict data security requirements to ensure the safety and privacy of your data. When we store your personal data, we separate this from any identifying information about you, to protect your privacy. All electronic files are password protected. Any written reports will only include group data, so you will not be identifiable in any way. We will also make non-identifiable questionnaire data (i.e. responses to survey questions, with no other information about you) available to other researchers via an online data repository such as Bridges.
Online program-related data
The online program will record how many online modules you select and complete, as well as data on your interaction with the activities (including your answers to questions).
Storage and use of data for other purposes
Electronic data, kept separately from any personal information about you, will be kept indefinitely. All data will be stored securely on Monash University servers, password protected, and only accessible by approved researchers. De-identified data (i.e. where you cannot be identified) may be used for future research, with ethics approval.
We will audio and video record all interviews. Interview recordings will be transcribed by a reputable third-party service that uses the high standards of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to ensure that data is secure.
How can I see the results?
A summary of results will be available in 2023. If you would like a copy, please contact Anna Smout at anna.smout@monash.edu. We also aim to have the results presented at conferences and published in scientific journals.
What if I have any complaints or concerns?
This project has been approved by the Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee. Should you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of the project, you are welcome to contact the Executive Officer, Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC):
Executive Officer
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC)
Room 111, Chancellery Building D,
26 Sports Walk, Clayton Campus
Research Office
Monash University VIC 3800
P: +61 3 9905 2052
E: muhrec@monash.edu
F: +61 3 9905 3831
Monash University Human Research Ethics Committee (MUHREC)
Room 111, Chancellery Building D,
26 Sports Walk, Clayton Campus
Research Office
Monash University VIC 3800
P: +61 3 9905 2052
E: muhrec@monash.edu
F: +61 3 9905 3831
Thank you for taking the time to read this Explanatory Statement,
Associate Professor Marie Yap
Head, Parenting and Youth Mental Health Group
Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences
Monash University