A Pitt School of Social Work PhD student is seeking University of Pittsburgh students to participate in research focus groups about social influences that impact young people’s ideas and values about sex and sexuality.
What Participation Entails
- Screening Survey: Students who are interested will complete a brief (5-minute) online screening survey to determine eligibility.
- Focus Group: Focus groups will take place via Zoom during February and March 2021 and will last 90 minutes.
Compensation
Focus group participants will receive a $10 gift card as a token of appreciation for their time.
Benefits and Risks
There is no direct benefit to participants from participating in the study. Participation is voluntary, and participants may withdraw at any time. There are minimal potential risks, which include (a) possible discomfort discussing a topic that is considered sensitive to some people, and (b) breach of confidentiality. These will be minimized by:
- Not centering focus group discussions on participants’ own sexual values or experiences; instead, emphasizing the social influences participants believe most significantly impact young people’s sexual values. Participants will not be required to respond to any question or discussion prompt they are not comfortable responding to. As participation is voluntary, participants may discontinue participation at any time.
- Removing identifiable information from focus group transcripts and using pseudonyms in place of participant names. Participant response data will be stored in a secure electronic file separate from identifiable data. The identifiable data (name and email) will be stored in an encrypted, secure electronic file and will only be used for contacting participants for focus group scheduling and gift card payment. Once contact information is no longer needed, the data file will be deleted.
How to Participate
Interested students can complete the screening survey by visiting the link provided below. (Note: Completing the screener does not guarantee focus group selection, and there is no compensation for completing the screener.)
- Learn more and access the screening survey at: bit.ly/socialsexualitystudy
Questions?
If you have questions about the research study or would like more information, please feel free to contact the Principal Investigator, Adrian Ballard, at ajb283@pitt.edu. You may also direct questions or concerns to the faculty advisor overseeing this research, Dr. Christina Newhill, PhD, at newhill@pitt.edu.