Title of Study: Sis, You OK?
Principal Investigator(s): Jocelyn Taliaferro, PhD,
jocelyn.taliaferro@morgan.edu, 443-885-1019; Sarah Ascienzo, PhD,
saascien@ncsu.edu; Sharlene Allen-Milton (Co-Principal Investigator), PhD,
sharlene.allen@morgan.eduFunding Source: None
What are some general things you should know about research studies? You are invited to take part in a research study. Your participation in this study is voluntary. You have the right to be a part of this study, to choose not to participate, and to stop participating at any time without penalty. The purpose of this research study is to gain a better understanding of the mental health, coping, and well-being of Black women in academia during the dual global pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism. Specific details about the research in which you are invited to participate are contained below. If you do not understand something in this form, please ask the researcher for clarification or more information. A copy of this consent form can be found on the project website at
www.bwmhs.com. If, at any time, you have questions about your participation in this research, do not hesitate to contact the researcher(s) named above or the Morgan State IRB office. The IRB office’s contact information is listed in the What if you have questions about your rights as a research participant? section of this form.
What is the purpose of this study? The purpose of the study is to better understand the status of mental health for women who identify as Black, and explore how they are coping, as they navigate academia specifically through the current pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism.
Am I eligible to be a participant in this study? Individuals who identify as Black women over the age of 18 who work in higher education are eligible to participate in this study.
What will happen if you take part in the study? If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to do all of the following:
Photovoice is a strategy for researchers to associate a visual image to the topic they are studying. In this case, we will be taking portrait photos of willing participants and collecting statements to tell their stories of navigating the pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism. You have been selected to tell your story through a visual representation using photography and stories of your photographs to represent issues that are most important to you. You will submit up to 25 photographs to the researchers through a Google folder set up specifically for each participant.
- You will be asked to participate in a one-on-one interview via email and/or phone.
- When you sign up for a timeslot, you will also receive the link to sign the consent form and a short demographic survey to provide basic demographic information to contextualize your responses.
- You will participate in a 30-60 minute interview via Zoom or face-to-face. You will receive a link (and instructions) to fill out the Gendered Microaggressions Scale (GRMS) through Qualtrics during the interview. The interview will be video and audio recorded via Zoom and uploaded to the Cloud. The recordings will be transcribed by a professional transcription service or the research team depending upon available resources.
The total amount of time on average that you will be participating in this study is 120 minutes. Recording and images: If you want to participate in this research, you must agree to be audio recorded. You must consent for the use of your uploaded photographs. Unfortunately, individuals that do not consent to audio recording are not eligible to participate in the study. You must attest that the images that you submit are not copyrighted images and do not infringe on any copyright laws. The images uploaded should be personal images taken by you or released for your use.
Risks and benefits There are minimal risks associated with participation in this research. The risks to you as a result of this research include it may cause you to confront experiences that bring you pain, stress, or negative emotions, such as frustration, anger, sadness, or guilt. There are no direct benefits to your participation in the research. The indirect benefits are realizing strategies to help with your mental health, connecting with a community of Black women with similar experiences, or participating in a research study that allows the opportunity for participants to be heard, in a society where their voice is being silenced so often.
Right to withdraw your participation You can stop participating in this study at any time for any reason. In order to stop your participation, please contact Dr. Jocelyn Taliaferro at
jocelyn.taliaferro@morgan.edu, 443-885-1019, Dr. Sarah Ascienzo at
saascien@ncsu.edu, or Dr. Sharlene Allen-Milton, at
sharlene.allen@morgan.edu. If you choose to withdraw your consent and to stop participating in this research, you can expect that the researcher(s) will redact your data from their data set, securely destroy your data, and prevent future uses of your data for research purposes wherever possible. This is possible in some, but not all, cases.
Confidentiality, personal privacy, and data management Trust is the foundation of the participant/researcher relationship. Much of that principle of trust is tied to keeping your information private and in the manner that we have described to you in this form. The information that you share with us will be held in confidence to the fullest extent allowed by law. Protecting your privacy as related to this research is of utmost importance to us. There are very rare circumstances related to confidentiality where we may have to share information about you. Your information collected in this research study could be reviewed by representatives of the University or research sponsors. In other cases, we must report instances in which imminent harm could come to you or others.
How we manage, protect, and share your data are the principal ways that we protect your personal privacy. Data that will be shared with others about you will be Re-identifiable. Re-identifiable data is information that we can identify you indirectly because of our; access to information, role, skills, combination of information, and/or use of technology. This may also mean that in published reports others could identify you from what is reported, for example, if a story you tell us is very specific. If your data is re-identifiable, we will report it in such a way that you are not directly identified in reports. Based on how we need to share the data, we; cannot remove details from the report that would protect your identity from ever being figured out. This means that others may be able to re-identify from the information reported from this research.
Future use of your research data Your information, even with identifiers removed, will not be stored or distributed for future research studies.
Compensation At the completion of the photovoice interview, each participant will be entered into one of three drawings for a 32” Smart TV as compensation for participation in this study.
Emergency medical treatment If you are hurt or injured during the study session(s), the researcher will call 911 for necessary care. There is no provision for compensation or free medical care for you if you are injured as a result of this study.
What if you are an NC State or MSU student? Your participation in this study is not a course requirement and your participation, or lack thereof, will not affect your class standing or grades at Morgan State.
What if you are an NC State or MSU employee? Your participation in this study is not a requirement of your employment at MSU, and your participation or lack thereof, will not affect your job.
Sponsorship and Funding This research is not funded. What if you have questions about this study? If you have questions at any time about the study itself or the procedures implemented in this study, you may contact the researcher, Dr. Jocelyn Taliaferro at
jocelyn.taliaferro@morgan.edu and/or 443-885-1019, Dr. Sarah Ascienzo at
saascien@ncsu.edu, or Dr. Sharlene Allen-Milton, at
sharlene.allen@morgan.eduWhat if you have questions about your rights as a research participant? If you feel you have not been treated according to the descriptions in this form, or your rights as a participant in research have been violated during the course of this project, you may contact the MorganState IRB (Institutional Review Board) Office. An IRB office helps participants if they have any issues regarding research activities. You can contact Dr. Edet Isuk at the Morgan State IRB Office via email at edet.isuk@morgan.edu or via phone at (443) 885-4340.
Consent To Participate By signing this consent form, I am affirming that I have read and understand the above information. All of the questions that I had about this research have been answered. I have chosen to participate in this study with the understanding that I may stop participating at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which I am otherwise entitled. I am aware that I may revoke my consent at any time.
