Research Participation Request: Rainbow Youth Experiences of Mental Health Support in the Nelson/Tasman Region

Rainbow research conducted BY rainbow researchers, FOR rainbow rangatahi.

Link to youth survey (including the information sheet to explain the research): https://tinyurl.com/NelsonYouthsurvey

Link to clinician survey (including the information sheet to explain the research): https://tinyurl.com/NelsonHPsurvey

THANK YOU for your time and for participating in this important research.

Rainbow Youth Experiences of Mental Health Support in the Nelson/Tasman Region

Who am I?

My name is Meagan Goodman.  I am a Master of Arts Psychology student at Massey University (via distance learning), and I currently work in mental health services with young people. I live in Whakatu, Nelson, and I identify as queer and gender diverse. My supervisor at Massey University is Dr. Ilana Seager van Dyk, who specialises in LGBTQIA+ youth mental health.

Why I am doing this research

This research is for my Master of Arts in Psychology thesis, which is part of my journey to becoming a registered psychologist. I am conducting this project because all young people deserve to have access to high quality, affirming mental health care. Unfortunately, we don’t know much about Rainbow/LGBTQIA+ youth’s experiences with these services in the Nelson/Tasman region, so we don’t know what needs to be done to improve access to these essential services.

What is the aim of the project?

I want to understand the barriers LGBTQIA+ young people living in smaller towns face when trying to access mental health support. I also want to hear about what LGBTQIA+ young people want to see improved when it comes to supporting their mental health care needs. When the study is finished, I plan to share the results with health providers in the Nelson/Tasman region, so that they can learn how to better support Rainbow youth.

How can you help?

If you are a youth worker or health professional that works with young people aged 16-24 in Nelson/Tasman, you may be eligible to complete a short online survey (approx. 5 minutes to complete) that asks about your experience working with young people and what barriers you believe young people (including LGBTQIA+ youth) experience when trying to access mental health support in the Nelson/Tasman region. The survey also asks about your thoughts for what can be done to increase access to mental health support for LGBTQIA+ young people in this region. As a thank you, you will be sent

We also have a similar survey for LGBTQIA+ young people, so another way you could help is by sharing the research flyer with youth who might be interested. If you are interested in this, feel free to reach out using the contact information at the end of this sheet for copies of the youth flyer.

What will happen with the information you share with me?

This research is confidential, meaning I will not share your identity with anyone else. Any information that I collect that could identify you (such as your mailing address) will be kept securely on a Massey University Cloud server which is only accessible by myself and my research supervisor.  If you share your contact details with us (e.g., mailing address), these details will be kept entirely separate from your survey responses, and your identity will not be revealed in any reports, presentations, or other documentation. Any identifiable information will be destroyed after five years once the research finishes. De-identified data will be kept indefinitely and may be shared with other researchers on request.

What else do you need to know?

After the study is finished, I will be offering a presentation of my findings via Zoom for any health professional or youth workers living in the Nelson/Tasman region (approximately January 2023).

If you have any questions or problems, who can you contact?

If you have any questions now or in the future, you can contact me at [email protected] or you can contact Dr. Ilana Seager van Dyk (Research Supervisor and Senior Lecturer at Massey University) at [email protected].

This project has been reviewed and approved by the Massey University Human Ethics Committee: Northern Application NOR 22/36. If you have any concerns about the conduct of this research, please contact A/Prof Fiona Te Momo, Chair, Massey University Human Ethics Committee: Northern, telephone 09 414 0800, x 43347, email [email protected]

Attached information: Poster for Health Professionals, Poster for Youth, Information Sheet for Health Professionals, Information Sheet for Youth

Article type: News and information

Contact Name: Meagan Goodman
Contact Phone: 0210353911
Contact Email: [email protected]