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The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental health and Quality of Life Amongst Lebanese Adults: Cross-sectional Study

Consent to participate in an Online Research Study

This notice is for an AUB-IRB Approved Research Study for Dr. Samer Kharroubi at AUB.

*It is not an Official Message from AUB*

You are invited to participate in a research study entitled The Impact of COVID-19 on Mental health and Quality of Life Amongst Lebanese Adults: Cross-sectional Study conducted by Dr. Samer Kharroubi, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the American University of Beirut. The conduct of this study will adhere to the IRB approved protocol.

The IRB approved method for approaching subjects is via an online survey link that will be distributed to all participants using the snowball sampling technique. The survey link and information will be posted on different social media platforms including Facebook Pages and WhatsApp groups, where participants will be invited to the research. The invitation will include the link to the survey and consent form. The purpose of the present study is to explore the impact of the COVID-19 on the mental health and quality of life (QoL) of the Lebanese adult population.

PROCEDURES

This message invites you to:

Read the consent document and consider whether you want to be involved in the study.

And to note:

Participation is completely voluntary.

Completing the questionnaire will take around 20 to 30 minutes.

Only the data you provide in the questionnaire will be collected and analyzed.

The research team will not have access to your name or contact details.

The results of the survey will be published in research articles /thesis/project report available in printed from and electronically from AUB Libraries.

The inclusion criteria will be (1) willingness to participate, (2) individuals over 18 years of age with access to the internet, and (3) residing in Lebanon at the time of the survey.

POTENTIAL BENEFITS TO SUBJECTS AND/OR TO SOCIETY

You will not receive payment for participation in this study.

The results of the study will help to identify potentially vulnerable groups or modifiable factors to design and provide specific psychological promotion programmes for adults with the aim of promoting their mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 era.

POTENTIAL RISKS TO SUBJECTS AND/OR SOCIETY

The risks of the study are minimal. But due to dealing with potentially sensitive questions regarding mental health, fear of COVID-19 and violence, there is a potential concern of triggering negative emotions, evoking memories that you may find stressful or upsetting. Below is a referral list of counselling services that can assist you, if you are experiencing any psychological distress that is affecting your mental health. In such a case, you may receive professional support at low or free expense by contacting:

During working hours (8 am – 5 pm): contacting the Outpatient Department (OPD) services of the Department of Psychiatry at the American University of Beirut Medical Center (01-350000, Ext. 5720) stating you have taken part in the survey and requesting a consultation.
Embrace, a Non-Profit Organization dedicated to Mental Health in Lebanon, that provides psychological support free of charge contact. National Lifeline: 1564; Mental Health Center: +96181003870; Email Address: info@embracefund.org; Address: Beirut, Lebanon.
KAFA (enough) Violence & Exploitation – hotline: 1745; Tel: 961-1-392220 - Fax: 961-1-392220; Email: kafa@kafa.org.lb ;Address: 43, Badaro Street, Beydoun Bldg, First Floor.

CONFIDENTIALITY

The collected data will remain confidential and anonymous.

Records will be monitored and may be audited by the IRB while assuring confidentiality.

PARTICIPATION AND WITHDRAWAL

If you voluntarily consent to take part in this study, you can change your mind and

withdraw at any time without consequences of any kind. Refusal to participate or withdrawal from the study will involve no penalty or loss of benefits to which the subject is otherwise entitled, and neither will it affect their relationship with their organization and AUB/AUBMC.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STUDY

If you have any questions about the study, can contact the research team at Dr. Samer A Kharroubi, Faculty of Agricultural & Food Sciences-AUB; Tel: 961-1-350000 (Ext 4541) E-mail: sk157@aub.edu.lb

ACCESS TO THE SURVEY

If after reading the consent document and having you questions answered, you

voluntarily agree to take part in the study; you can access the survey by clicking on the NEXT button.

CONCERNS OR QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR RIGHTS

If you have concerns about the study or questions about your rights as a participant, you can contact the AUB IRB Office at: Social & Behavioral Sciences Institutional Review Board [01-350000, Extension: 5445, irb@aub.edu.lb].

There are 48 questions in this survey.

This survey is anonymous.

The record of your survey responses does not contain any identifying information about you, unless a specific survey question explicitly asked for it.

If you used an identifying token to access this survey, please rest assured that this token will not be stored together with your responses. It is managed in a separate database and will only be updated to indicate whether you did (or did not) complete this survey. There is no way of matching identification tokens with survey responses.