guide

Form Approved

OMB No. 0990-

Exp. Date XX/XX/20XX

FOCUS GROUP/LISTENING SESSION INSTRUMENT – GENERAL POPULATION

Assessment of the Impact of Energy Development on Behavioral Health of Women in Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana

Focus groups will be attempted with the following population segments: high school-aged adolescent girls, young women (age 18 to 25), pregnant women, mothers of young children, mothers of adolescents, women working outside of the home, women employed working in the energy development industry, senior women (age 65+), American Indian women of different age groups, women who moved to a boomtown community within the past boom cycle, women with behavioral health challenges, female survivors of violence/human trafficking, sex workers, men working in the energy development industry, men residing in boomtown communities for at least the past decade, American Indian men, local small business owners (women if available), providers/clinical staff, behavioral health (clinical) staff, teachers, and non-traditional female students among others.

Informed Consent Script

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to join our focus group. My name is [NAME] and I work for a non-profit public health organization called Health Resources in Action. [IF COMMUNITY FACILITATOR: My name is _________ and I am helping to facilitate today’s conversation along with _________ from Health Resources in Action, a non-profit public health organization.] We were hired to assess how energy development activities have affected the behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) of women in western North Dakota and eastern Montana. Our assessment is collecting information to quantify and describe this impact. Our assessment includes surveys, interviews, and focus groups with stakeholders like yourself. Throughout the project, our assessment is emphasizing community engagement. Our work is guided by community organizations, tribes, and state partners to ensure the assessment produces information that will benefit women and their families living in your community and surrounding communities.

Before we start our discussion, I’d like to review the consent form with you. This form provides information about what we will be doing today in the discussion group. It also gives you a chance to decide if you want to take part in today’s discussion or not. Please feel free to follow along on the form as I go over the information.

Today’s session is confidential and will last about 80 to 90 minutes. What we say to each other in this room stays in this room so that everyone feels free to share their opinion without worrying that it will be repeated outside these walls. There are no right or wrong answers to my questions, and you do not have to answer any question you do not want to answer. You can leave at any time if you feel uncomfortable.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 90 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, to review and complete the information collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington D.C. 20201, Attention: PRA Reports Clearance Officer

When our study is done, we will combine the information you shared today with that of the other 20 discussion groups and will write it up in a very general way that doesn’t identify anyone by name. We might quote something a person said in our report, but no one will be able to figure out who said it.

You will receive a $25 gift card for participating in today’s discussion. You will receive this gift card after our discussion ends, once you have signed a receipt.

Before we begin, does anyone have any questions or wish not to participate in today’s session?

Documenting the Focus Group

I have a colleague with me today, ____________, who is taking notes during our discussion. He/she works with me on this project. I want to give you my full attention, so he/she is helping me out by taking notes during the group and he/she doesn’t want to distract from our discussion.

Recording the Focus Group (Optional)

I would like to record our session today so I can check the accuracy of my notes after our discussion. I will be deleting the recording as soon as I write up my notes. Are you okay with me recording our discussion? [Do not record if any one expressed discomfort with recording.]

Ground Rules and Introductions

I’d like to start by setting some ground rules for our discussion. We set ground rules for these discussions to make sure everyone is comfortable in the group and everyone is able to add to the conversation.

• Please talk one at a time and speak up as much as much as possible. This will make it easier for us to hear each other.

• Please respect one another’s opinions. There will be a range of opinions and experiences shared as we work through the questions, and we do not expect everyone to agree with another. I’d appreciate it if everybody show respect when others are talking.

• Because we only have 90 minutes for our discussion, we may have to shorten the discussion on one topic and move on to another question.

• Feel free to respond to each other about these topics, not just answer my questions. This will help us have a good discussion about each topic.

• Please report on things you have seen and what you have experienced personally, but do not use names. If you would like to describe an example, do not use names; use a fake name or say he/she. Please do not share knowledge you have about something if other people in your community would recognize who was involved from the details you talk about.

• Please turn off your cell phones or leave them on vibrate. If you need to take a call, please feel free to step out of the room.

• I brought some food for you, and feel free to help yourself while we are talking.

• Please also feel free to get up and use the restroom if needed.

• Are there any other ground rules we should set to help guide our discussion today?

[NOTE: THE QUESTIONS BELOW ARE INTENDED TO SERVE AS A GUIDE, NOT A SCRIPT. Not all questions may apply to the focus group segment; please review the protocol carefully before conducting the session and consider what questions are culturally and community appropriate to ask.]

1. INTRODUCTION AND WARM-UP

Now, first let’s spend a little time getting to know one another. Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves. Please tell me: 1) Your first name and 2) something about yourself – such as what you like to do for fun in your free time. [AFTER ALL PARTICIPANTS INTRODUCE THEMSELVES, MODERATOR TO ANSWER INTRO QUESTIONS]

2. PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY

1. How would you describe your community? Tell me a bit about it.

1. Who lives there? What are the people like?

   1. What’s it like to be a woman in your community?

2. What are some of the things you like the most about where you live?

   1. What are some of its biggest strengths?

3. What are some of the things you like the least about where you live?

2. What are some of the biggest problems or concerns in your community?

3. Just thinking about day-to-day life currently – working, getting your kids to school, things like that – what are some of the challenges or struggles you deal with on a day-to-day basis? [Probe on: jobs, traffic, daycare, income, housing, accidents, etc.]

1. Why do you think these issues are happening in your community?

2. How do these issues affect women in particular? [PROBE ON SUB-POPULATIONS OF INTEREST – PREGNANT WOMEN, YOUNG WOMEN 18-25YO, ELDERLY WOMEN, AI WOMEN, SURVIVORS OF DV AND TRAFFICKING]

3. How has the boom in energy development affected these community issues?

4. What do you think would help solve these problems?

3. PERCEPTIONS OF COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUES

4. What do you think are the most pressing health concerns in the community? Why? [PROBE ON SPECIFICS]

1. What are the biggest health problems in your community?

1. How have these health issues affected your community? In what way?

2. Why do you think these issues are happening?

3. How have these issues affected women in your community? [PROBE ON SUB-POPULATIONS OF INTEREST – PREGNANT WOMEN, YOUNG WOMEN 18-25YO, ELDERLY WOMEN, AI WOMEN, SURVIVORS OF DV AND TRAFFICKING]

4. How has energy development affected these issues?

5. What do you think would help solve these problems?

2. How big of an issue is mental health? What about substance abuse? What are some of the biggest mental health and substance abuse issues in your community?

4. PERCEPTIONS OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES

5. Now let’s discuss the mental health and substance issues you just mentioned in a little bit more depth. You had mentioned that [INSERT ISSUE HERE] is big problem in your community.

1. Who do you think encounters this issue the most?

   1. How does it affect women? [PROBE ON SUB-POPULATIONS OF INTEREST – PREGNANT WOMEN, YOUNG WOMEN 18-25YO, ELDERLY WOMEN, AI WOMEN, SURVIVORS OF DV AND TRAFFICKING]

2. Why do you think this is happening in your community?

3. How has energy development affected these issues?

4. What do you think would help solve this problem?

5. PERCEPTIONS OF HEALTH CARE/ BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

6. Let’s talk about the services that are available to address a few of the health issues you mentioned previously. What services are you aware of in the community that currently focusing on [INSERT ISSUE HERE]?

   1. In your opinion, how available or accessible are these services to the people who need them? [PROBE ON BARRIERS E.G. STIGMA/COMMUNITY UNDERSTANDING OF ADDICTION & MENTAL HEALTH]

2. What’s missing? What services are currently not available that you think should be?

[REPEAT Q6 FOR TOP 2-3 ISSUES MENTIONED]

CLOSING

Thank you so much for your time. That’s it for my questions. Is there anything else that you would like to mention that we didn’t discuss today?

[INSERT COMMUNITY DISSEMINATION INFORMATION]

Thank you again.

DRAFT—9/12/16