Galveston Bay Recovery Study
Purpose of the Interview
The purpose of this interview is to find out how Hurricane Ike affected adults in the Galveston Bay area and how they have been doing after the hurricane. In order to get valid information about how the hurricane affected this community, it is important for us to interview a representative group of adults who lived in the Galveston Bay area when the hurricane struck.
We need to interview all kinds of people from this area - those who sustained a lot of hurricane damage and those who sustained less or even no damage. We also need to interview people who are doing well emotionally after the hurricane as well as those who are not doing so well.
Selection Process and Participation
You were selected randomly to participate in the study to represent hundreds (thousands) of adults in your community. Your participation will be a big help to us in documenting how well people are doing after Hurricane Ike and what types of services hurricane survivors need.
Please be as candid as possible in your responses, and all of your answers will be kept strictly confidential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who is conducting this study?
A. The University of Michigan and Dartmouth College are the lead institutions in this study. Other universities, mentioned above, will join us for different parts of the study.
Q. What are the different parts of the study?
A. There are several parts to the study:
There are 3 different telephone interviews over a period of 14 months. The first interview lasts about 1 hour, the second and third last 30-40 minutes.
After the first interview we will ask you for samples of your saliva which you collect at home yourself all on one day (along with completing a short survey). After the first interview and the saliva samples, some people will be scientifically selected to participate in an interactive computer educational program about stress.
After the second interview, some people will be scientifically selected to participate in a 10-session in-person program using a coping skills and stress reduction workbook.
Q. Why do you want saliva?
A. We are looking for physical information about genes and hormones that help with coping.
Q. How much will it cost me to participate in this project?
A. There is no cost to you for participating. As a thank you for your time we pay $25.00 for each of the 3 different telephone interviews. We pay $10 for the saliva sample (including a brief survey). The computer and workbook programs are free to participants.
Q. Do I have to participate?
A. No, this research study is completely voluntary. If you do decide to participate, you can leave at any time or decline to answer any questions. If you decide not to participate, there are no penalties and you will not lose any benefits.
Q. What are the benefits to me if I participate?
A. You may get direct benefits from some parts of the study like the educational website or the workbook sessions. Even if you don't get a direct benefit from the study, your information may help others in the future if we can learn better ways to prevent and treat reactions to disasters.
Q. Are there any risks to me if I participate?
A. The risks in participating in this study are minimal. You might experience some discomfort answering some of the questions or if your confidential information were to be seen by others. However, we have taken every precaution in designing this study to protect your privacy and to reduce your discomfort. We will give you more details about this later.
Q. How did you choose my address and/or phone number?
A. Your address/phone number was randomly selected from public lists like the census or random digit phone calling for the area covered by the disaster.
Q. Who can I talk to if I have questions about the study?
A. IF YOU ARE CURRENTLY A STUDY PARTICIPANT: Please feel free to call our toll free line: 1-800-759-7947 and say the name of the study. You will be connected to someone who can answer your questions.
If you have questions about any of your rights as a research study participant, you may contact the University of Michigan Health Sciences Institutional Review Board:
540 East Liberty Street, Suite 202, Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Phone: (734) 936-0933 FAX: (734) 998-9171
irbhsbs@umich.edu
Please identify the study with the ID # HUM 00019324.