THE UNIVERISTY OF QUEENSLAND
&
THE PRINCE CHARLES HOSPITAL

• Are you a parent?
• Do you have a son or daughter abusing alcohol and/or drugs?
• Is your son or daughter under 25years of age?
• Your son or daughter may or may not be living with you, but do you maintain contact with them?
If you answered ‘yes’ to these questions, we are keen to hear about your experiences. 

Invitation to participate
Parents with children abusing alcohol or other drugs are often experiencing significant levels of distress, and often struggle to cope with the emotional upheaval and uncertainty that a child’s drug use can bring into a home.  Currently, there is minimal support for families and parents struggling to cope with a child’s drug use, with most services providing treatment for the alcohol or drug using child only, and rarely providing support and treatment for other family members.  Parents and their needs for support, education and guidance are often overlooked, leaving many parents floundering and wondering what to do next.

To better inform the development of support options for parents with alcohol or drug using children, the University of Queensland together with The Prince Charles Hospital would like to better understand your experiences as a parent of a child abusing alcohol or drugs, and invite you to participate in this research opportunity.

Background
In order to promote the highest possible standard of care for the community, The Prince Charles Hospital and the University of Queensland encourages ongoing research. You are invited to participate in a research study which aims to inform the development of new treatment options for families experiencing difficulties with a son or daughter who is abusing alcohol or drugs.  The researchers are keen to gain a better understanding of the psychological distress caused within families, particularly on parents, when they have a child abusing alcohol or drugs.

What do I have to do?
Participation in this research entails completing a number of brief questionnaires that should take no more than 10 minutes to complete.  The questionnaires can be accessed by clicking on the attached link, ‘PKDquestionnaire’.  If you choose to access and complete the surveys, your information will be de-identified and collated with the responses of other parents.  In five (5) weeks, you will receive an email from the University of Queensland using your supplied email address, asking you to complete another set of questionnaires via the School of Medicine website.  This email will have ‘PKD REMINDER’ in the subject line to prompt you to return to this webpage on the University of Queensland website to complete the follow-up questionnaires. Completing two sets of questionnaires over time will enable us to determine what changes occur for parents over a five-week period.

The questionnaires aim to provide us with information around the psychological impact of living or engaging with a child who is abusing alcohol or drugs.  Of particular interest to this research is the effect on mood and your parenting experiences.

In order to protect your privacy, and provide you with the best possible care and to enable follow-up, you are asked to provide your email address.

Confidentiality
Information collected will be treated with the strictest confidence and only accessible by the researchers involved in the study and outcome data will be de-identified so that no one will be recognisable on any publication. The only information we require is the provision of your email address to contact you

In appreciation of your time
In appreciation of your time, you will be provided with an information booklet which includes helpful information, suggestions and contacts for ongoing support in your state.  The e-booklet will be emailed to your supplied email address following submission of your second set of questionnaires. 

There will be no cost for the e-booklet or for participation in the study.

All information will be treated with the utmost respect and confidentiality.  No information will be provided to any other person but yourself, and the only identifiable information will be your email address. 

Your participation in this research is completely voluntary and will in no way effect any treatment you receive from The Prince Charles Hospital.

Your participation in the study may be of benefit to you and others through the development of valuable treatment options for families. If you have any queries about participation, you may like to contact Vanessa Winchester, Principal Researcher and Psychologist at Vanessa.Winchester@uqconnect.edu.au, or if you wished to talk to someone not connected with the study, you may contact the Executive Officer Research, The Prince Charles Hospital on 3139 4500.

Consent
By completing and submitting the attached surveys, this will be considered your consent to being involved in this research study.

If you wish to participate in this research study, please enter your email address and click the button to register your agreement.

Click agree here.

Thank you for volunteering.