Participant Information Sheet
An Investigation of the Experience of Help-Seeking for Mental Health Problems within a Sexual Minority Population
Introduction
The aim of this study is to explore and understand the experiences of people who identify as being within a sexual minority group (i.e., gay, lesbian, or bisexual) in relation to help seeking, from either a professional such as a doctor or non-professional such as a friend, for both perceived and diagnosed mental health problems (i.e., anxiety, depression, low mood, self-harm etc). There is currently a limited amount of research and knowledge regarding these experiences, therefore we will hope to gain this insight through exploring what help seeking for mental health means within this group of people, both individually and collectively, based on the experiences that they have had.
The study is being supervised by Professor Simon Hunter at Glasgow Caledonian University. The study is being carried out by Rachel McCartney as part of the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology in the Department of Psychology, at Glasgow Caledonian University.
Before you decide whether to participate, it is important for you to understand what taking part in the study will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish. Please do not hesitate to contact us at the address below if you have any questions or require additional information.
Why is this study important?
This research study aims to inform mental health care workers, as well as the public, with a greater insight in how to best help people who identify as belonging to a sexual minority, for example are lesbian, gay, or bisexual, who are experiencing poor mental health. This will hopefully be achieved through highlighting areas of improvements and any oversights that may have occurred within health care settings and within social circles.
What will I have to do if I take part?
You will be invited to take part in an interview that will take approximately 50-60 minutes. There are no correct or incorrect responses as each experience will be unique. Before the interview, you will be asked to provide an email address so that you can be invited to a Microsoft Teams meeting where the interview will take place. Personal information collected to arrange the interview, such as your name and email address, will be deleted once the data analysis proceeds.
In the interview, you will be asked open-ended questions regarding your experience of seeking help for your mental health within a health care or social setting. We will explore what was positive about the experience, what was negative about the experience, the impact it has had upon you, and what could be done differently. The interview will be semi-structured which means that you will be in control as the desire is to purely learn about your experiences.
Do I have to take part?
It is your decision whether you want to take part. Even if you decide to take part in an interview, you can change your mind at any point and stop taking part in the study at any time, without giving a reason. If you decide to withdraw your data following the interview, please email the research team within two weeks of completion and your data will be deleted. Doing this will not prevent you from taking part in future research studies. However, once the two-week period has passed, your data will be unable to be removed due to the analysis process of the data being conducted.
What are the possible risks with taking part?
Although all studies may involve some level of inconvenience and risk, the researchers do not anticipate any specific risks to participants within this research survey. However, in terms of safeguarding participants we aim to reduce the possibility of a data breach, whereby all survey data will be stored in a password-protected folder within GCU OneDrive, accessible only to the researcher team and supervisor.
Additionally, participating in any research can induce potential distressing or uncomfortable feelings. Therefore, if you the participant are experiencing any issues relating to mental health problems, we have provided you with signposts for further support. You can also use the Glasgow Caledonian Student Wellbeing Service if you are a student. See helplines and websites included below:
Website: www.samaritans.org
Telephone Number: 116 123 (Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Website: www.nhs24.scot
Telephone Number: 111 (Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
Website: www.breathingspace.scot
Telephone Number: 0800 83 85 87 (Available Monday – Thursday from 6pm – 2pm & Friday 6am – Monday 6am)
- LGBT Health and Wellbeing
Website: https://www.lgbthealth.org.uk/
Telephone Number: 0800 464 7000 (Available Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 12pm-9pm & Sunday 1pm-6pm)
- GCU Wellbeing – Glasgow Caledonian University.
Website: https://www.gcu.ac.uk/student/support/wellbeing/
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
We can’t promise that taking part in the study will help you personally. However, you will have the opportunity to share your personal experiences, provide further insight into how to best help sexual minority individuals who are suffering from poor mental health, hopefully aid in the improvement of mental health services, and pave the way for future research studies.
What happens when the study stops?
A copy of a final report can be requested from the research team (contact details are at the end of this information sheet).
What if there is a problem?
If you are concerned about your participation in the study and would like to speak with someone beyond the study team, please contact the Chair of the Ethics Committee, Dr Phil Dalgarno: HLSEthicsPSWAH@gcu.ac.uk.
What will happen to the information given during the study?
The data will be collated using an anonymous survey, in accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR (2018) all participant information will remain confidential and anonymised. The only persons who will have access to the data will be the principal student researchers and research supervisor, who will all adhere to GDPR legislation and GCU data security and data protection. The research team will carry out the data analysis which will then be stored anonymously with an encrypted password on GCU OneDrive. Furthermore, in accordance with Glasgow Caledonian University all data will be retained for 5 years and then confidentially destroyed. In accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR (2018). Any enquiries relating to Data Protection should be made to the University’s Data protection officer by email: dataprotection@gcu.ac.uk. If you are unhappy with the response from the University, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). The ICO can be contacted by email: casework@ico.org.uk.
GDPR also gives study participants the right to ask for their personal data to be erased. If you would like us to stop using your personal data, then you can contact us (contact details at end of the page) and ask for your personal data to be erased. However, it will only be possible to erase data that has not been published. Further information about your rights can be found at: https://www.gcu.ac.uk/dataprotection/rights/
Who is organising and funding the study?
This study is being organised by Rachel McCartney as part of the Professional Doctorate in Counselling Psychology. It is not a funded piece of research.
What will happen to the results of the study?
The study results will be available to a range of people as it will be electronically available to the public. It will not be possible to identify any individual participant from these reports or publications due to identifiable information being removed and the participants being anonymised through use of pseudonyms (i.e., Participant A). We may share the anonymised results with other researchers; however, you are able to opt-out at the beginning of the study.
Who has reviewed the study?
All studies involving human participants carried out at Glasgow Caledonian University are reviewed by an ethics committee. The role of the ethics committee is the protect the safety, rights, wellbeing, and dignity of study participants. This study was reviewed by the School of Health and Life Sciences, Department of Applied Psychology departmental committee and given ethical approval on 11/10/2023 under the following approval code: HLS/PSWAHS/23/002.
What happens next?
Once you have read this information and are happy to continue, you can proceed onto the next session containing the consent for the participation in the study. If you have any questions, you can contact a member of the research team:
Rachel McCartney: rmccar206@caledonian.ac.uk
Prof Simon Hunter (supervisor): Room M420, Glasgow Caledonian University, Cowcaddens Road, Glasgow, G4 0BA, email: simon.hunter@gcu.ac.uk
Thank you for taking the time to read this information.