Here is a bit of info about what doing a group discussion for the SASH research project will involve:
Groups will be 3-5 people who know each other. Your group can meet anywhere that is convenient for you and your friends. This might be at a community centre you know, a room at the University of Edinburgh or somewhere else you are comfortable talking. If you need to take a bus to get there, you will get a bus pass for the journey.
As well as me (Amy, the researcher) there might also be a youth worker you know at the group too.
There will be (nice) things to eat and drink.
Talking will happen at group discussions. Though probably not outside 😉
The group will last about an hour, maybe a little longer. It is up to you and your friends how long it lasts, and if you want to stop a discussion early, that is absolutely fine.
The discussion will be recorded using a digital recorder. This is so that I can listen to what you are saying, and remember what you say later!
Although I’m really interested in what you have to say about drugs, alcohol and self-harm, how you talk about these things will be decided by the group at the start. You can choose different activities to help get you talking, here are a few of the options:
- Finish the sentence activity
- Statement cards
- Drawing people
- Mind maps
- Just talking!
The discussion will not be about personal experiences of self-harm, drugs or alcohol. You might have some experience of these things though, and at the start of the group we will set some ground rules about how we will handle this.
At the end of the discussion you can ask me any questions you have, and I will ask you what you thought of the discussion. You will get a card with contact details on it, and if you want you can ask to be emailed with updates about the project.
After the discussion, the recording will be written up. At this point, I will change everybody’s name and remove anything that might identify you. This means that when I talk about the research, no-one will know you took part, and everything you talk about will be confidential.
Think you might want to take part? Then get in touch!
The SASH Research Project 