Study on Autism and Addictions: Individual Interview Invitation Letter
Click here for a copy of the advertisement.
Click here for the consent form.
What do we want to know?
Close to 20% of Canadians struggle with substance (alcohol, drugs, and non-prescription medication) use. Although recent research has found that autistic people may be at increased risk of developing addictions, we still do not have a good understanding of how best to support individuals with ASD and addictions. We are interested in learning more from autistic people who struggle with addictions about what they need from community- based services.
Who can participate in the study?
To participate in the study, you must:
- Be over 16 years old and have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Asperger's Syndrome, or PDD-NOS, and struggle with substance use (alcohol, drugs)
- Have access to the internet (because we are conducting interviews virtually).
If you sometimes have difficulties with communication, you can choose to have someone, who knows you and how you communicate well, with you during the interview to help make communicating with the researcher easier. This should be someone you trust and who you don’t mind sharing personal information in front of.
About participating in the study:
The study will involve completing a virtual interview with the study co-investigator at SFU. She will ask you questions about yourself, your substance use, any services you have received, and what might be missing from the services you have received. Because addictions can be a sensitive topic, we encourage you to ask a “support person” (i.e., a trusted friend or family member) to be with you during the interview, so that you can ask for support if you need it. The interview will take about 1-4 hours (depending on how talkative you are!) and can be split over multiple sessions. It can take place via Zoom or telephone. As a thank-you for your time, we are offering $20/hour. More information on participating in this study, including how your privacy will be protected, is available in the study consent form.
I need more information before I decide whether or not to participate:
If you are interested in participating in the study and would like more information, please contact the study co-investigator at Simon Fraser University, Madelaine Ressel (email: mressel@sfu.ca, phone: 613-850-4846). Please note that email and telephone are not secure forms of communication, and so we cannot guarantee your confidentiality in any email or phone communication with the research team. To protect your privacy, please do not include any identifying information (like your full name or address) in any communication with the research team.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Grace Iarocci, Professor, Simon Fraser University
Co-Investigator: Madelaine Ressel, Graduate Student, Simon Fraser University
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