If you are on this page, it is likely that a teenager in your care has shown interest in participating in my research project. I want to thank you and the potential participant for showing interest. Below I have addressed some of the most common queries regarding what it entails for your child to participate in this research.
Who can I contact to talk about this research?
You can contact me directly by emailing me on sophie.buijsen@ed.ac.uk I endeavour to reply to any queries about the project within the next working day.
Alternatively you can contact my PhD supervisors Fadhila Mazanderani and Ingrid Young.
Why has my child been chosen for this research?
For someone to be eligible to participate in my research they have to be aged between 14-17, identify as a girl and live in Scotland or the Netherlands. That’s it! Those are the only pre-requisites for participation.
You may wonder if I select participants based on their sexual activity. But this is not the case. If a participant is eligible and they are interested, they can join. I am interested in knowledge, not experience, so participants do not need to be sexually active or disclose anything they have experience in. I just want to know what they think about the subject of sex, sexuality and sexual health.
How do I know my child will be safe?
I do not take the safety of participants lightly, and have gone through a rigorous procedure at the University of Edinburgh to gain ethical approval for this research. As part of this process I presented my methodology to a panel of experts in the fields of research ethics and research with young people.
You can read my Data Security protocol here. I am working with encrypted services and only store data in appropriately encrypted locations. All data will be anonymised.
The participants will only be dealing with me. But they will be able to contact my supervisors in case they are unhappy with how the research is conducted. Participants will be made aware at all times that their participation is voluntary and that they can withdraw whenever they wish to.
Additionally participants only have to discuss matters they are comfortable discussing, and we will make sure we have a procedure for when any subjects come up they do not wish to discuss.
What will my child be asked to do?
You can find all the information about participation on the participant page.
What is the purpose of their participation?
You can find more information about the purpose of the research project here.
What happens if I do not want my child to participate?
Of course I would be disappointed to hear that. I would ask that you contact me, so we can discuss your concerns.
For this research participants do not need parental consent. It is my strong belief that 14-17 year olds can make an informed decision if they wish to contribute to this research or not. This research specifically advocates that young people have a right to speak up about this subject. Therefore your lack of consent does not block your child from being able to participate in the research.
If you reach out to me and after our discussion you still do not wish for your child to participate in this research, I will get in touch with the participant to discuss how they wish to proceed. In the end it is their decision.
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