ETHNIC IDENTITY, ACCULTURATION AND ADOLESCENTS' PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

DEAKIN UNIVERSITY HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE
PLAIN LANGUAGE STATEMENT

Full Project Title: Ethnic Identity, Acculturation and Adolescents' Psychological Health and Well-Being

Principal Researcher: Associate Professor David Mellor

Student Researcher: Jessica Wong

Your Consent
You are invited to take part in this research project. This Plain Language Statement contains detailed information about the research project. Its purpose is to explain to you as openly and clearly as possible all the procedures involved in this project so that you can make a fully informed decision whether you are going to participate.

Please read this Plain Language Statement carefully. Feel free to ask questions about any information in the document. You may also wish to discuss the project with a relative or friend or your local health worker. Feel free to do this.

Once you understand what the project is about and if you agree to take part in it, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. By completing the questionnaire, you indicate that you understand the information and that you give your consent to participate in the research project.

Purpose and Background
My name is Jessica Wong and I am conducting a research project with Associate Professor David Mellor in the School of Psychology towards a Doctor of Psychology (Health) degree at Deakin University. I would like to invite you to participate in this research. The purpose of this project is to examine the associations between ethnic identity and acculturation and the health and well-being of young people in Australia. This research will add to our knowledge and understanding of how ethnic identity and acculturation influence health and well-being.

Previous research in countries such as the United States of America has shown that when people move from one country to another there are many adjustments to be made. Some of these adjustments relate to finding a balance between the cultural ways of the old country and those of the new. Other adjustments include defining one's identity – that is who one is. These issues are also important for children of immigrants, even if these children were born in the new country. Research has found that people who have difficulty with these adjustments are affected adversely. For example, their wellbeing and engagement in risky behaviours may differ from people whose families have lived in the new country for several generations. We are interested in finding out if these kinds of outcomes are also likely to be found in Australia amongst young people of Chinese background.

You are invited to participate in this research project because we want to collect data from young people with various backgrounds. We are looking for:

•  Young people with a Chinese background or ancestry.

•  Young people whose families have been in Australia for at least two generations, and have a European background.

If you fit into one of these categories we hope you will agree to participate in our survey.

Procedure
If you agree to participate in the project you will be required to complete an anonymous questionnaire that will take approximately 35 minutes of your time.

If you are under 18 years of age you will need to have your parent/guardian's consent to participate in this project. Both you and your parent/guardian will be required to indicate that you agree to participate in this project in order for you to complete to the questionnaire. If you agree to participate in the project please press the “I AGREE” button at the bottom of this page. Your parent/guardian will then be required to read the Plain Language Statement. If you and your parent/guardian do not agree to participate then you will not be granted access to the questionnaire.

If both you and your parent/guardian agree that you will participate in the project, you will be redirected to the questionnaire website. Some typical questions or statements included in the questionnaire are: “At times, I think I am no good at all” and “I have spent time trying to find out more about my ethnic group, such as its history, traditions, and customs,” and “Over the past week I found it difficult to relax,” and “Have you in the past 12 months driven an unregistered car?”

When you have completed the online questionnaire press the submit button which will return it to the researchers.

Possible Benefits
Possible benefits of this study are that it will further our knowledge and understanding of how ethnic identity and acculturation influence psychological health and well-being, and improve our ability to identify young people who are at risk, so that help may be provided.

Possible Risks
Your involvement in this project should not expose you to any emotional or physical harm. If you have concerns or if the questions alert you to potential emotional problems of which you had previously been unaware please contact:

•  Your GP or your school counsellor.

Alternatively, you can contact:

•  Kids Help Line on 1800 551 800

•  Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Participants can suspend or end their participation in this project if distress occurs.

Privacy, Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information
Participation in this research is entirely voluntary and you may at any time, without any consequences, choose to simply not complete the questionnaire. If you do not wish to take part you are not obliged to.

All aspects of the study, including results, will be strictly confidential and only the researchers named will have access to information. We are only interested in aggregated information and any interpretation of the results will be based on the average scores of all participants. No information which could identify any individual participant will be published.

The information collected will be stored in adherence to the University regulations and will be kept in secure storage for a minimum of 6 years, after which it will be destroyed. A report of the study may be submitted for publication, but individual participants will not be identifiable in such a report, only aggregated results will be reported.

Ethical Guidelines
This project will be carried out according to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research (2007) produced by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. This statement has been developed to protect the interests of people who agree to participate in human research studies.

The ethics aspects of this research project have been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Deakin University. This research project has also been approved by the Depart of Education Victoria.

Complaints
If you have any complaints about any aspect of the project, the way it is being conducted or any questions about your rights as a research participant, then you may contact:

Ms Silvia Rametta, Executive Officer, Human Research Ethics Committee, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood Victoria 3125, Telephone: 92517123 , Facsimile: 9244 6581.

Please quote project number EC11-2008.

Further Information, Queries or Any Problems
If you require further information, wish to withdraw your participation, have any concerns about this project, or would like to be informed of the aggregate research finding, you can contact the following researchers:

Jessica Wong jawon@deakin.edu.au

Assoc. Prof. David Mellor at david.mellor@deakin.edu.au

Please indicate that you have read and understand the terms of the plain language statement and agree to participate by clicking the button below. By doing so, you agree to give your consent to participate in the study.

If you do not agree to participate please click the button below.