Boone County Work, Mental Health, and Substance Use Study
Study at a Glance
The Boone County Work, Mental Health, and Substance Use Study is a research study conducted through UIC in partnership with the Boone County Health Department. The Boone County Work, Mental Health, and Substance Use Study is an extension of work already underway in Boone County, Illinois, building upon the existing Boone County Healthy Work Initiative. This study provides important data about Boone County residents’ experiences with work and health, with a focus on two of Boone County’s most pressing health concerns identified through the county’s most recent community health assessment: mental health and substance use.
Data collection for the Boone County Work, Mental Health, and Substance Use Study concluded in August 2021. A summary of the main study findings is available here.
If you have questions about our study, please call our research team at 312-355-7311 or email us at booneworkhealthstudy@uic.edu.
Resources for Boone County Residents Heading link
The Boone County Work, Mental Health, and Substance Use Study aims to understand the ways in which Boone County residents’ experiences with work may impact their mental health and substance use. We understand that talking about work, mental health, and substance use, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, can be stressful. We have compiled a list of contacts and resources that may be helpful to Boone County residents who are experiencing challenges related to work, mental health, substance use, and general well-being.
Boone County Health Work Initiative Resource Guide
Iniciativa para el trabajo saludable en el condado de Boone Guía de recursos
Boone County Health Department Website
For concerns about the study or questions about your rights as a research participant, please call the UIC Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) at 312-996-1711 (local) or 1-866-789-6215 (toll-free), or email uicirb@uic.edu.
Frequently Asked Questions Heading link
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Why did I receive a text and / or call about the study?
The Boone County Research Team is using a random digit dialing method to reach individuals who may be eligible to participate in the study. Random digit dialing methods generate phone numbers at random based on criteria such as geographic location. If you have a telephone number that may be located in Boone County, you may receive calls or texts inviting you to participate; however, participation for this study is voluntary.
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What is the study about?
The survey will help us understand Boone County residents’ work experiences, the context and availability of work for Boone County residents, and the impact those factors might have on residents’ mental health and substance use. We are also interested in how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted work and health.
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How can I verify that this is a real study/find out more before I decide to participate?
If you’d like to know more about the study before you decide whether or not to participate, you can call Dr. Tessa Bonney at 312-355-7311 or email her at tbonne5@uic.edu.
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What will I be asked to do during the survey?
You will be asked to participate in a telephone survey about your current or recent employment, your perceptions of employment in Boone County, and your own mental health and substance use. Some of these questions will ask for sensitive and personal health information. A member of the UIC research team will read each question and the response options to you, and you will select the response option that is most applicable to you.
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How long will it take to complete the survey?
Participants will be asked to participate in a 45-to-60-minute telephone survey.
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Who is paying for the research?
This study is funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is the federal agency responsible for conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness.
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What are the study eligibility/requirements?
You are eligible to participate in this research study if you:
- Live in Boone County, IL
- Are 18 years or older.
- Speak English OR Spanish
- Are currently employed OR have been employed within the past 24 months.
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Why should I participate? Are there benefits to taking part in the study?
Being in this research study will not benefit you directly. We hope that your participation in the study may benefit other people in the future by helping us learn more about work in Boone County and how work impacts both mental health and substance use among residents. Understanding these phenomena may help identify interventions to support healthier work and address mental health and substance use in Boone County.
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Will I be paid to participate in this study?
Eligible participants will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.
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Are there risks to taking part in the study?
The primary risks presented by this research study are breaches of privacy (others outside of the study may find out you are a subject) and/or confidentiality (others outside of the study may find out what you did, said, or information that was collected about you during the study). It is also possible that you may experience feelings of psychological distress from answering questions about stressful experiences. You may be uncomfortable with some of the questions you may be asked and/or asked to discuss. This research includes some items about your mental health and substance use/abuse. You can skip and/or not respond to any questions that may make you uncomfortable.
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How can I be sure that my answers will be kept private and confidential?
The research team will only collect identifiable contact information from you if you agree to provide it, and your contact information will only be used to contact if you if there are opportunities to participate in future research. Even if you do provide your contact information to the research team, you will have the opportunity to decide not to participate in future research if you are contacted later. Contact information is not considered research data and will be removed from and kept separate from all other information that you provide. At the time of your initial survey, you will be asked whether or not you would like to provide your contact information to the research team in case there are additional opportunities to participate in the study. If you do consent to be contacted in the event that there are additional opportunities to participate, you will be asked to provide your full name, address, telephone number, and date of birth. A master list of identifiable data (including your name, address, telephone number, and date of birth) will be retained separately from the rest of your responses. A unique ID number will be assigned to your data and only members of the research team will have access to the master list linking your identity to your responses. If you do not consent to be contacted for future follow-up, we will not collect identifiable information from you and any information that could identify you, including your telephone number that you provided at the time of consent, will be destroyed after you complete the survey. If you do consent to be contacted for future follow-up, your identifiable will be destroyed at the end of 5 years, or by June 30, 2026.
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How will my answers be used? Who is authorized to see my information?
Your identifiable private information collected for this research study may be used for future research studies and/or shared with other researchers for future research. If this happens, information that could identify you will be removed before any information is shared. Once the identifying information is removed, the information cannot be withdrawn from further use. Please note that identifiable information will only be retained for individuals who consent to be contacted for future follow-up; if you do not agree to be contacted by the research team in the future, the research team will not collect additional information about you (such as your full name, address, telephone number, and date of birth) and the research team will remove and destroy any information that could identify you from study lists and records (such as your telephone number).
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How can I get a summary of my responses?
If you would like a summary your responses from this study, please email Tessa Bonney, PhD, MPH at tbonne5@uic.edu or leave her a message at 312-355-7311 (if you would like a printed copy mailed to you, please include your postal mail address in the message).
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What if I want to talk to someone about the stress I’m experiencing
Please check out the ‘Boone County Health Work Initiative Resource Guide” for a list of contacts and resources that may be helpful to Boone County residents who are experiencing challenges related to work, mental health, substance use, and general well-being.
If you need immediate help with stress or with thoughts of self-harm, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also contact this helpline via online chat at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/chat/.
You can also reach a free, 24/7, confidential text message service for people in crisis. Text HOME to 741741 in the United States.
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Will there be opportunities to participate in a follow-up survey?
If you participate in this study, there may be opportunities to participate in an additional follow-up to this study at a later date. At the time of your original survey, you will be asked whether you consent to be contacted in the future if there are opportunities to participate in a follow-up study. If you do consent to be contacted for future follow-up and the research team is unable to reach you via the contact information that you provide (name, address, telephone number), the research team may use your full name and date of birth to locate your address and telephone number using a LexisNexis Accurint account. If there are opportunities to participate in any follow-up data collection in the future, you will be provided a new consent form and will have the opportunity to decide whether or not you wish to participate at the time of the follow-up.
Research Team Heading link
Tessa Bonney
Email:
Kathleen Rospenda
Email:
Amanda Mehl
Emily Morales Reyes
Evelyn Diaz
Marina Tecuanhuey
Molly Wendland
Emily Waas
Title Heading link
The Boone County Healthy Work Initiative Team