Invitation to join research into transitioning into adulthood for people with Type 1 diabetes

We've been asked by a research student at the University of the West of England if anyone with Type 1 diabetes would like to take part in his research into transitioning into adulthood. The attached file explains the research proposal. Please contact him directly if you are interested

Exploring the perceptions of adults with type 1 diabetes about their period of transition to adulthood – considering the management of their condition

My name is Jacopo Rossi and I am a psychology postgraduate student in the Department of Health and Social Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol. I am currently recruiting participants to collect data for my dissertation project. My research has as its goal to explore the experience of the transition to adulthood of individual with type-1 diabetes. This will provide useful data that will deepen the understanding of this important dynamic. 

You are invited to participate in a qualitative interview – a qualitative interview is a ‘conversation with a purpose’; you will be asked to answer questions in your own words. There is no right or wrong way to answer the questions, as you are the expert on your own experience. The questions will cover your personal experience of the period of transition to adulthood and the effect that this transition had on the management of your type-1 diabetes. The interview will be audio recorded and I will transcribe (type-up) the interview for the purpose of analysis. On the day of the interview, I will ask you to read and sign a consent form. You will also be asked to complete a short demographic questionnaire. This is for me to gain a sense of who is taking part in the research. I will discuss what is going to happen in the interview and you will be given an opportunity to ask any questions that you might have. You will be given another opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview.

Who can participate?

Adults aged between 20-40 years, who were diagnosed with type-1 diabetes during childhood, who are interested in taking part in a face to face interview session.

When will the interviews take place?

The interviews will take place during the month of June and July at the Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol BS16 1QY. However, different arrangements can be made to take into account specific needs regarding time and location.

How will the data be used?

Your interview data will be anonymised (i.e., any information that can identify you will be removed) and analysed for my research project. This means extracts from your interview may be quoted in my dissertation and in any publications and presentations arising from the research. The demographic data for all of the participants will be compiled into a table and included in my dissertation and in any publications or presentations arising from the research. The information you provide will be treated confidentially and personally identifiable details will be stored separately from the data.

The personal information collected in this research project (e.g., the interview audio recording and transcript, and the demographic form) will be processed by the University in accordance with the terms and conditions of the 1998 Data Protection Act. We will hold your data securely and not make it available to any third party unless permitted or required to do so by law. Your personal information will be used/processed as described on this participant information sheet.

What are the benefits of taking part? 

You will get the opportunity to participate in a research project on an important social and psychological issue.

Are there any risks involved?

We don’t anticipate any particular risks to you with participating in this research; however, there is always the potential for research participation to raise uncomfortable and distressing issues. For this reason we have provided information about some of the different resources which are available to you. If you are a UWE student you can also use the university counselling service, see: http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/students/healthandwellbeing/wellbeingservice.aspx or email wellbeing@uwe.ac.uk, or telephone 0117 3286268. If you are not a student at UWE or you would prefer an off campus counselling service the following website lists free or low cost counselling services in the local area: http://www.bristolmind.org.uk/bsn/counselling. 

Thank you for your time.

If you are interested, or would like to have more information about this project, please send an email to Jacopo2.rossi@live.uwe.ac.uk