The purpose of our research study is to test the effectiveness of our web-app which aims to teach students about substance misuse prevention, coping, and resilience skills, and to create awareness around available mental health and substance use resources on campus.
Participate in our online research study and earn up to $90 to $105 in gift cards of your choice via Tangocard.com.
Please review the complete information under each of the tabs below before you decide to participate. Then check your eligibility by clicking the button inside the “how can I get started” tab.
Who can participate?
CSUN students with an active CSUN account for at least 10 weeks after study enrollment, who are 18 years and older, are eligible to participate. Please note: You will not be able to participate if you do not have a functioning CSUN student email account.
You may only participate in this study once.
What does the study involve?
All elements of this study are completed online.
All participants who are eligible for this confidential study will be asked to complete EITHER
(1) Intervention group: three 15-30 minute surveys regarding substance use and mental health and one 5-minute survey about coping skills via Qualtrics over a 4-5 month period if they are in the intervention group; OR
(2) Control group: three 15-30 minute surveys regarding substance use and mental health via Qualtrics over a 4-5 month period if they are in the control group.
Some survey questions deal with sensitive issues such as substance use, abuse, and traumatic experiences.
Participants will also be chosen at random to test the MATAspire substance misuse prevention and coping and resilience skills web-app. Those selected to be in the intervention group will complete six 15-minutes weekly modules. Participants who are selected to be in the control group will NOT complete any modules in the web-app.
You will be able to do all of this from the convenience of your mobile device or your computer!
For more information regarding the group you may be assigned to (i.e. either the intervention group or the control group), please refer to the table below.
Intervention
Four Confidential Surveys for Research
(1) Baseline (25-30 min).
(2) Coping skills after completing module 3 (5-7 min).
(3) Exit — after last module (15-20 min).
(4) Follow-up — 90 days after Exit (15-20 min).
Six (1) Coping and resilience skills (2) Alcohol (3) Cannabis (4) Nicotine (5) Prescription and other drugs (6) Final module
15 min per module — 1 module per week
7 days to complete each module. Each module is released 6 days after completion of the previous, while the last module is released no sooner than 31 days after randomization. You have 5 days to complete the coping skills survey administered after module 3.
You have 14 days to complete the exit and follow-up surveys.
Up to $105 in gift cards of your choice via Tangocard.com for the surveys completed.
Control
Three Confidential Surveys for Research
(1) Baseline (25-30 min).
(2) Exit — 30 days after baseline (15-20 min).
(3) Follow-up — 90 days after Exit (15-20).
None
N/A
You have 14 days to complete the exit and follow-up surveys.
Up to $90 in gift cards of your choice via Tangocard.com for the surveys completed.
Group
What surveys do I complete?
How Many Modules do I complete?
How long is each module?
How many days do I have to complete the module(s)
How will I be compensated?
Your activity within the web-app and modules will NOT be collected or stored as part of this research. Self-reporting/quiz responses are deleted upon leaving each page of the web-app.
All surveys are conducted via CSUN Qualtrics, and responses will be kept confidential. Identifiable information will be replaced with a random code in the data (de-identified); identifiable information will be kept separate from your responses; access will be limited to project personnel; identifiable information will be destroyed 3 years after the study ends; de-identified data will be kept indefinitely for future research.
How will I be compensated?
After completing online surveys all participants will be compensated with gift cards of their choice, redeemable online via Tangocard.com. A redemption link is sent to their CSUN email throughout the study as described below:
Group 1: Intervention Group
Total compensation if you complete all components is $105
$30 = after completing the Baseline survey and first web-app login for randomization; $15 = after completing the Coping skills survey which is distributed to you via email after you complete module 3; $30 = after completing the Exit survey which is distributed to you via email after you complete module 6 (the last module); and $30 = after completing the 90-day follow-up survey which is distributed to you via email.
Group 2: Control Group
Total compensation if you complete all components is $90
$30 = after completing the Baseline survey and first web-app login for randomization; $30 = after completing the Exit survey which is distributed to you via email 30 days after randomization; and $30 = after completing the 90-day follow-up survey which is distributed to you via email.
Please note that if you do not complete a study element (survey or web-module) on time, you will be removed from the study, and you will not receive the subsequent modules and/or surveys, nor compensation for any survey that you did not complete in time. You will be compensated only for the surveys you have completed within the given deadline.
How can I get started?
Participation in this study is voluntary. Make sure you have read the information on this page carefully before completing the initial anonymous screener to confirm your eligibility in Qualtrics.
If deemed eligible, you will be taken to the informed consent and baseline survey.
Click the button below to get started.
Some survey questions deal with sensitive issues such as substance use, abuse, and traumatic experiences.
If you decide not to participate in this study, but you would like more information about substance misuse prevention, or mental health and wellness services, please see our list of resources.
