Online PreVenture Feasibility Study - UBCO

STUDENT E-INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM

Funded by the Saint Justine Hospital Foundation Grant Fund

Dear Student,

As you may recall, a team of researchers are conducting a project to evaluate the feasibility of the online adaptation of the PreVenture program. The PreVenture program involves delivering specialised coping skills group workshops to teens. The program is usually delivered in-person, however in response to the COVID-19 pandemic the program has recently been adapted to an online delivery format. The project will compare the experiences of around 500 teens attending high schools and accessing mental health services across Canada.

Below you will find a link to a student online information sheet about the study and e-consent form:
Link to student online information sheet:

Who are the investigators and co-investigators?

The study is led by Dr Patricia Conrod, a clinical psychologist and professor at Sainte-Justine Hospital and the University of Montreal. Other members of the research team include: Dr Marvin Krank and Dr Skye Barbic from the University of British Columbia; Mr David Smith from British Columbia Interior Health; Dr Steve Mathias from Vancouver Coastal Health Authority; Dr Hayley Hamilton and Dr Jürgen Rehm from the Centre of Addiction and Mental Health and Dr Christopher Mushquash from Lakehead University in Ontario; Dr Ranmalie Jayasinha from the University of Montreal and Dr Hanie Edalati from the Canadian Centre for Substance use and Addiction in Quebec; Dr Sherry Stewart from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia.

What is involved?

The main purpose of the pilot study is to evaluate feasibility, acceptability, and short-term impact of the PreVenture Program when delivered to teens across Canada through an online video conferencing and digital platform. If you agree to participate in the project, you may have be invited to:  

  • complete an online survey on your personality, strengths and weaknesses, different health-related behaviours, experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic and learning style (approximately 45-60 minutes)
  • participate in two brief online PreVenture program workshop sessions to learn about life skills and reaching your goals
  • provide feedback on your experience of participating in the online PreVenture program via an online feedback questionnaire (approximately 10 minutes)

You are now being offered the opportunity to complete the follow-up online survey (approximately 45-60 minutes).

The online workshop sessions were run by a staff member at your school and youth had the chance to interact with other teens during the sessions. The workshops are designed to: motivate teens to understand how their personality type leads to some emotional and behavioural reactions; enable teens to develop skills to better focus their strengths and weaknesses towards their goals; equip teens with tools to better manage real consumption situations. The workshop sessions were delivered via an online video conference platform and teens received access to digital manuals that contain the workshop content.  

What are the benefits?

Your input will be of great value in trying to identify the health and wellbeing experiences of young people. A number of studies have shown that teens who participate in the PreVenture program workshops report reduced drug use, binge drinking and mental health problems over a two year period, relative to teens who do not. The program also aims to provide teens with coping skills that can help them in other aspects of their academic lives.

What are the risks?

There are no demonstrated or anticipated physical risks to being involved in this study or in PreVenture workshops. Potential psychological risks are minimal and could involve possible discomfort from responding to questions about one’s emotional state. 

Is my participation voluntary?

Your participation in the project is entirely voluntary. Some of the questions asked are personal and participation in every aspect of the project is voluntary. Teens can choose to refrain from answering any questions that may cause them discomfort. You can withdraw from the study at any point, without having to provide reasons. At which point all data provided by you will be immediately destroyed. 

How will my privacy be protected?

In order to ensure the privacy of teens when participating in the online workshop sessions, the video recording of the video conference platform will be disabled. Teens will also be encouraged to wear headphones and participate in the group in a private space. 

All information collected will remain completely confidential as required and permitted by law. All personal information will be protected by replacing names with research codes that will be securely stored under the responsibility of the principal investigator at the Sainte-Justine Hospital for at least 7 years after which it will be destroyed. Only authorized research team members will have access to this information. 

In order to ensure your protection and the quality control of the research project, a delegate of the ethics committee of the CHU Sainte-Justine research center could consult your research records.

The findings from the study will not be reported in a way that any individual can be identified. If information from this study is published or presented at scientific meetings, your name and other personal information will not be used. 

Any personal information we collect will be kept confidential and private. Only in situations where a teen indicates that they are at imminent risk of harm to themselves or others will we contact the school or mental health service provider. The school or mental health service provider will then evaluate and decide whether to discuss this further with the teen. All teens will be provided with a list of youth services at the end of the survey and reminded that staff are available should they need support, information, or someone to talk to.

Who may I contact if I have questions?

If you or your parent has any questions or concerns about the study you can contact the lead researcher in Montreal, Dr Patricia Conrod:

Centre de Recherche, CHU Ste-Justine
3175 Côte-Ste-Catherine, Montréal, QC, H3T 1C5
patricia.conrod@recherche-ste-justine.qc.ca  
514 345 4931 (ext 4051)

You can also contact the site lead researcher Dr. Marvin Krank: [marvin.krank@ubc.ca]

If you would like information about your rights related to your participation in the research, you may contact the hospital Ombudsman (Patient Representative) at CHU Sainte-Justine (Montreal, Quebec): (514) 345-4749.

If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, contact the Research Participant Complaint Line in the UBC Office of Research Services at 1-877-822-8598 or the UBC Okanagan Research Services Office at 250-807-8832. It is also possible to contact the Research Participant Complaint Line by email (RSIL@ors.ubc.ca). Please reference the study number (H18--03373) when contacting the Complaint Line so the staff can better assist you.

If you would like information about your rights related to your participation in the research, you may contact the hospital Ombudsman (Patient Representative) at CHU Sainte-Justine (Montreal, Quebec): (514) 345-4749.