Information for participants (18-25 years) in the study "The long journey"

The phrase ‘on the move’ refers to children and youth who have been forced to leave their home country (this could be due to war or conflict, or other pressing reasons) and seek shelter in Sweden.

Are you between 18 and 25 years old? Then you can register for this study. Follow the instructions and fill in your information and we will contact you at the earliest.

Before you register

If you are between 18 and 25 years old and it has not been more than six months since you first arrived in Sweden, then you may register to participate in our study. Before the interview, we will tell you more about what it means to be part of our study. We would like you to read this information letter now: Link to information letter

Why do we want to do this study?

There is very little knowledge about the health of children who have been on the move and how they are feel after arriving in their new country. We hope to gain more knowledge that can help children and youth on the move in the future.

Consideration

Children and youth who are interviewed by us do not get any personal benefits. The main purpose of this project is to contribute to increased knowledge about health in children and young people on the move. The researchers conducting this project have all a lot of experience working with children and youth in different life situations. Therefore, we are prepared to meet you on your own terms. If it turns out that you may need more support after the interview, we can provide some advice and appropriate information including contact details for further help and support.

Compensation

The participants in this study on young people (18-25 years old) will receive a compensation of 300 SEK (svenska kronor).

Is there anyone who is not suitable?

No, we would like to meet children and youth on the move with all possible experiences and backgrounds. But since the interview is about your personal experiences it is important that you feel comfortable talking about it with us.

If you feel unsure about something, you are always welcome to contact us. Below you can read answers on some issues you may be wondering about.

What questions do we ask?

We ask questions about many different topics. Everything from exposure and experiences of violence, about your health, your everyday life and how you feel in general. We will ask you about your background (for example age and home country), social networking (such as family and friends) and so on.

Can anyone else find out that I’ve answered these questions?

No. Only the researchers know that you have taken part in the study. Your information is protected by law and it is forbidden to share your personal information with others except the researchers involved in the study.

Can I withdraw my consent if I no longer want to be part of the study?

Yes, you can withdraw your consent at any time. Even after the interview is over, you can contact us and we will directly delete all information about you.

Are there any risks in participating?

We do not know of any risks involving the interview but some questions might be sensitive to some. But from our experience many have told us that they thought it was important and fun to answer the questions. In case a question is making you feel uncomfortable, please let us know and we will skip talking about.

What do we do with your answers?

All participants in the study are anonymous. Once the interview is completed all material is de-identified so that no one, except the researchers in the project (see below) know who answered a particular interview. Only researchers have access to the interview material which is securely stored in an encrypted file. According to Swedish law, the material is destroyed after ten years. As a participant in the study, you have the right to find out once a year, free of charge, what kind of personal information is registered in the project. You also have the right to have incorrect information changed.

How about security?

Your information, including everything you tell us during an interview is securely protected on password-secure servers. Also, all information stored cannot be linked to you. Your information collected during interviews will be given a code and the key will be stored in a place other than the answers themselves.

Is there any compensation for taking part in the study?

The participant in this study on young people (18-25 years old) will receive a compensation of 300 SEK (svenska kronor).

Where can I find out more about the research project and results?

All research will be published here on this website. We will also keep summaries of research in several different languages. We encourage all study participants to regularly check this website for updates and more information about the project including results. You are also welcome to contact us at any time if you would like to know more about the progress of the project or results.

Who is responsible for the project?

The researchers that work on this project are based at Barnafrid, a national knowledge center at Linköping University. Both Linköping University and Professor Laura Korhonen are responsible for running the project.