PARENT EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Empowering parents in the COVID-19 mental health response: Evaluating the PiP+ program

Project number: 28551
Chief Investigator: Associate Professor Marie Yap, Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University. E: [email protected]; Ph: +61 3 990 50723.

Program manager: Dr Mairead Cardamone-Breen, Research Fellow, Monash University. E: [email protected]; Ph: (03) 9905 1250.

You are invited to take part in a research study being conducted by Monash University. Please read this Explanatory Statement in full before deciding whether or not to participate in this research. If you would like further information regarding any aspect of this project, please contact the researchers via email ([email protected]) or on (03) 9905 1250.

What does the research involve?
This project aims to evaluate the effects of an online parenting program to support parents of teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program, called Partners in Parenting (PiP), was initially developed to help equip parents with knowledge and skills that may protect their teenage children against mental health problems like depression and anxiety. We have recently updated the program, PiP+, to make it more relevant for parents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The PiP+ program includes new, expert-endorsed recommendations for supporting adolescent mental health during the pandemic, as well as an optional online peer support group for parents who are completing the program. The peer support group is conducted via Facebook, and will be open for all parents who register for the PiP+ program.


Who can participate?
We are inviting parents or guardians of at least one teenager aged 12 to 17 (inclusive), who reside in Australia, are fluent in English, and have regular access to the internet, to participate.

What will I be asked to do?
If you agree to participate, you will be asked to do the following:
  1. Go online to partnersinparenting.com.au
    Fill in the online registration and consent form, and indicate that you have read this Explanatory Statement and agree to take part. You will be asked to provide brief demographic information so that we can ensure you are eligible for the study. We will also ask you to provide a phone number that we can contact you on.

  2. You will then be invited to complete an online survey assessment. The surveys will ask about your parenting, your confidence in parenting during COVID-19, your own mental wellbeing, and some feelings and behaviours in your teenager that may be associated with depression and anxiety (30-45 minutes altogether). If your responses to the surveys suggest that you or your teenager may be experiencing symptoms of mental health problems, we’ll let you know and may suggest that you seek appropriate professional support.

  3. As soon as you complete the online surveys, you will get access to the PiP+ program, including:
    1. A personalised feedback report, outlining your parenting areas of confidence, strengths, and areas for improvement, as well as a copy of the evidence-based parenting guidelines Reducing teenagers’ risk of depression and anxiety disorders: Strategies for parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.
    2. Access to up to 10 interactive online modules, including one module about parenting during COVID- 19. You will be recommended certain modules based on your survey responses, however you can choose to complete any of the 10 modules. Each module may take between 15-25 minutes to complete, depending on the topic and the way you choose to engage with it. We suggest that you complete one module per week, but if you prefer, you can complete them any time you like. We’ll send you reminders each week, by email, and by SMS if you prefer.
    3. [optional] Access to an online peer support group, via Facebook. While you’re completing the program, you’ll also receive access to a private, invitation-only peer support group with other parents completing the PiP+ program. The group aims to provide a safe, supportive space for parents to connect, learn from each other, share experiences, and apply what they’ve learned in the PiP+ program. The group will also be moderated and facilitated by members of the PiP+ team, who will provide regular expert advice, share new content (including updated content based on topics raised in the group), and facilitate discussions on various topics. There will be one large group, as well as smaller topic groups which you can join if you wish.
      If you choose to join the peer support group, we will provide you with more information, including details of what happens with the information you share, when you join. There will also be community guidelines to keep everyone safe, which we’ll expect all members to follow.

  4. At the end of your program (about 3-months after the first survey), we will invite you to complete another online survey. This survey will ask the same questions as the first survey, as well as some questions about your experience of the PiP+ program. The survey will take approx. 30-45mins to complete, and is optional.

  5. [optional] We may also invite you to participate in an optional interview with one of the researchers, about 6 months after your first survey. The interviews will be conducted via phone or online using Zoom video conferencing. The purpose of the interview is to hear your experience of participating in the PiP+ program and/or online peer support group (if you choose to join). We will ask you what you liked and didn’t like about the program/peer support groups, how supported you felt, whether you think your parenting, your wellbeing or your teen’s wellbeing has improved, and any suggestions you have for improving the program in future.
    We will record the interviews, by recording the Zoom call or using audio recording for phone calls. The interviews will then be transcribed, by a reputable transcription company, for analysis. We will email you a copy of this transcription for you to check whether it accurately reflects your opinions. We will give you two weeks to review the transcript and let us know if you would like any changes.
All parts of this study can be completed at any time or place of convenience to you, as long as there is internet access. The time commitment will depend on whether you join the peer support groups, and how much time you choose to spend on the PiP+ program. In total, participation could take between 2.5 to 6 or more hours (if you do the full program), over a period of 3 to 6 months.

Agreeing to participate and change of mind
Participation in this research is completely voluntary. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to check the box in the online consent form on our website. If you change your mind at any stage, you are free to withdraw from the research (e.g., you may stop completing the modules or surveys, leave the peer support group, and/or request that we do not contact you further). You may also request that your data (i.e. survey responses, posts and comments in the peer support group) be withdrawn once submitted, prior to the final report being written. After this time (around April 2022), you will not be able to withdraw your data.


Source of funding
This project is funded by the National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC), Department of Health Australia.


What are the benefits?
This project is designed to help equip parents with parenting strategies that may reduce the risk of depression and anxiety in their teenagers, with additional focus on supporting teenagers during and after COVID-19. The program also aims to support parents, via peer support, in order to improve their own mental wellbeing. In the longer term, it is hoped that the program may reduce future mental health problems in adolescents.

Are there any risks?
The risks of participating in this research are low; however we have identified the following potential risks:
  1. Although unlikely, it is possible that you may become upset while completing the surveys, receiving your parenting program, or participating in the peer support groups. If this happens, please let the researchers know, and you are welcome to withdraw from part or all of the study at any time (i.e. you can choose to leave the peer support groups but remain in the PiP+ program, or leave the entire program). If you get 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)
    Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
    Parentline: 13 22 89 (8am – midnight, 7 days a week)
  2. Although unlikely, there is also a risk to your privacy through breaches of confidentiality, for either of the following reasons:
    1. If you disclose identifying information about yourself or your family in the online peer support groups. We will ask you not to do this and will remove any posts containing identifying information.
    2. If the researchers deem 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 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 (optional interviews only)
If you are invited to the optional interviews, and you choose to take part, we will reimburse you with a $25 Prezzee gift voucher. You can redeem the voucher at hundreds of retailers, including Coles, Woolworths, Kmart, Target, Amazon, Ikea, Uber Eats, and many more.


What about privacy?
Information collected in this project will only be accessible by the 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. Various third-party services are used as part of the PiP+ 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 safety and privacy of your data. If you choose to join the optional peer support group on Facebook, we will extract certain information from the groups, including posts and comments. You will be provided with more information about this before you join the groups. 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.


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.


How can I see the results?
A summary of the results will be available in mid-to-late 2022. If you would like a copy, please contact Dr Mairead Cardamone-Breen at [email protected]. We will also publish the results 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
Tel: +61 3 9905 2052
Email: [email protected]
Fax: +61 3 9905 3831

Thank you,
Associate Professor Marie Yap

Associate Professor (Research) and Psychologist
Head, Parenting and Youth Mental Health Group
Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health
School of Psychological Sciences
Monash University