CONSENT FORM    For NIAAA grant (An Evaluation of the Oxford House Model)
 
Description and Explanation of Procedure:
 A group of investigators at DePaul University (Chicago, IL) are conducting research on persons leaving treatment facilities for alcohol and drug abuse. All information will be confidential, used solely for research purposes, and kept by the researchers at DePaul University.
 A member of the survey team will ask you a series of questions.  Some questions focus on your past and current life, some items are on your opinions, and still other items are on your feelings and thoughts. The questionnaires will request some personal and sensitive information. For example, we will ask you questions about drug and alcohol use. You do not need to answer any question which makes you feel uncomfortable. You can refuse to answer any questions on the questionnaires.
 Each participant then will be assigned RANDOMLY to either an Oxford House group, or a usual care group. When we say random, we mean that the assignment will be made by chance (for example, flip of a coin). Those persons in the Oxford House group will be invited to apply and seek entrance in one of the local Illinois Houses.  We can not guarantee acceptance into a House, but we will try to give those individuals in this group every opportunity to enter.  Persons in the usual care group may seek recovery from any program or source available. Two months after the first session we will call you to make sure that we have your correct phone number and address.
 All persons involved in this study then will be interviewed four (4) more times over the next two years by phone.  The first session will be the longest, so plan on spending some time for the interview. This first session will require about 90 minutes of time. For your time, you will earn $40.00 for this first survey.  The same Interviewer will call for all phases. You will earn $40.00 for each of the next four interviews (each taking about 60 minutes), with payment given directly to you. The total $200 compensation that you are supplied is not a way to force you to participate; instead, you can look at it as a relatively small part of your income. So, by participating you earn money ($200 total), and you help support us to gain information that may help others in the future.
 In regard to confidentiality, during the fourth and last interview, we will interview someone in your support network that you have listed to confirm your current level of abstinence. The person selected will be someone you rated as most important at the third interview from a list of people in your support network. We will ask this person his or her consent to provide us information. If during the study we can not locate you for one of the interviews, we will contact the person who always knows how to reach you, and we will obtain that person’s permission to find out how to reach you.

Risks and Discomforts:
 The risks are minimal.  They involve possible breaches of confidentiality or privacy when discussing sensitive issues with Interviewers, or emotional discomfort when recalling or talking about substance abuse. To protect the confidentiality of the research data, we will code all provided information using a unique ID number for each participant, and the participant’s name and other identifying information will be contained in a single master file, accessible only to senior research staff and kept in a locked file cabinet in the Principle Investigator's office.  You should be aware that the Department of Health and Human Services can request access to these data.  All records will be destroyed 5 years after the completion of the grant.  To assist in the event that psychological trauma may arise when talking about substance abuse, the Principal Investigator and his key staff will contact you and make consultation arrangements.  A list of local emergency rooms, community hospitals, and mental health clinics serving your region will facilitate the referral process.

Potential Benefits:
 By assisting, you contribute information, which will be used to help develop future programs to help others who live in Illinois also trying to live clean and sober lives.  In addition, you receive payments for your time in answering the questions.

Investigator’s responsibilities:
 The project has been fully explained to                                   (participant) including the nature and purpose of the above-described research procedures and the risks and benefits involved in its performance. Questions have been answered and all future questions will be answered to the best of my ability. I will inform the participant of any changes in the procedures or the risks and benefits if any should occur during or after the course of the study.  A copy of the consent form has been provided to the participant.

 
Date      Investigator’s Signature

Participant’s Consent:
 The above procedure described has been satisfactorily explained with its possible risks and benefits and my questions have been answered. Permission for my participation in this study has been granted. Dr. Leonard Jason or his associates may be reached at (773) 325-2018 and will be available to answer any questions that may arise. Questions regarding my rights as a research subject or questions regarding compensation in the event of a research related injury may be asked of a member of the DePaul University Institutional Review Board by calling (773) 325-2593. Freedom to withdraw this consent and discontinue participation in this project at any time, even after signing this form, is assured.  A copy of this form has been provided to me.
 To participate in this research project, please sign and print your name below.  Your signature indicates that the information provided above has been read, or was read, and that you have decided to participate.

 
Date      Signature of Participant

 
Date      Witness to Signatures

TELEPHONE INFORMATION
Please list the DAY, TIME and PHONE NUMBER that may be best for completing the "DePaul University Phone Interview".  Please remember there are a number of questions to answer, so list times that set aside 60 minutes to answer all items.
WEEK DAY     TIME OF DAY   AREA CODE -PHONE NUMBER

________            _______               (    )  ________________

________            _______       (    )  ________________

________           _______       (    )  ________________

________           _______     (    )  ________________

   THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.
 

    Release Form – Important Person

It is understood that the most important person in my social network will be contacted by telephone by a person from DePaul University representing a study on what happens after people finish treatment for drug and alcohol problems.
 

Permission is granted to have this important person contacted: _______________________
        (Print Person’s complete name)
 

This important person can be reached at the following telephone number                                      .
 

This important person’s address is                                                                                             .
 

DATE: __________________     SIGNATURE: _______________________

(please PRINT your name here -______________________________ )
 

DATE:                                           WITNESS:

 
   Release Form –Contact Person who can Locate Me

It is understood that a person from DePaul University, representing a study on what happens after people finish treatment for drug and alcohol problems, will need to contact a person who is always aware of where and how to reach me.

Permission is granted to have this person contacted to provide the investigators at DePaul information on where and how to reach me:

  ___________________________  (Print Person’s complete name)
 

This person can be reached at the following telephone number                                      .
 

This person’s address is                                                                                             .
 
 

DATE: __________________      SIGNATURE: _______________________

(please PRINT your name here -______________________________ )
 

DATE:                                           WITNESS:
 

                    CONSENT FORM  (To be sent to the Most Important Person in Network)

Description and Explanation of Procedure:
 A group of investigators at DePaul University (Chicago, IL) are conducting research of persons who have left treatment facilities for alcohol and drug abuse.

                           (Participant’s Name) has listed you as the most important person who knows (him or her).  This person has given us permission to contact you and ask about (his or her) current level of alcohol and drug use. We are now requesting your permission to be interviewed. If you agree to be interviewed by us, we will call you within the next week. You can refuse to answer any questions that we ask you.

Risks and Discomforts:
 The risks are minimal.  They involve possible breaches of confidentiality or privacy when discussing sensitive issues with an Interviewer. To protect the confidentiality of the research data, we will code all provided information using a unique ID number for each participant, and the participant’s name and other identifying information will be contained in a single master file, accessible only to senior research staff and kept in a locked file cabinet in the Principle investigator's office. Of course, the participant will be aware that you are supplying information about him/her to us and he/she has agreed to allow us to contact you for this purpose. You should be aware that the Department of Health and Human Services can request access to these data.  All records will be destroyed 5 years after the completion of the grant.
 

Potential Benefits:
 By assisting, you contribute information, which will be used to help develop future programs to help others who live in Illinois also trying to live clean and sober lives.  No direct benefits to you may be expected.

Investigator’s responsibilities:
 All information will be confidential, used solely for research purposes, and held the researchers at DePaul University.   Of course,                             (participant’s name) will know if you have provided information about his/her alcohol and drug use.
 
                                    (participant) has read or been read the nature and purpose of the above-described research procedures and the risks and benefits involved in its performance has been fully explained. Questions have been answered and all future questions will be answered to the best of my ability. The participant will be informed of any changes in the procedures or the risks and benefits if any should occur during or after the course of the study. A copy of the consent form has been provided to the participant.
 

 
Date      Investigator’s Signature

Participant’s Consent:

 The procedure described above has been satisfactorily explained to me, including its possible risks and benefits and my questions have been answered. Permission for my participation in this study is granted. Dr. Leonard Jason or his associates may be reached at  (773) 325-2018 and will be available to answer any questions that may arise.  Questions regarding rights as a research subject or questions regarding compensation in the event of a research related injury may be asked to a member of the DePaul University Institutional Review Board by calling (773) 325-2593. Freedom to withdraw this consent and discontinue participation in this project at any time, even after signing this form, is assured. A copy of this form has been provided to me.
 

 To participate in this research project, please sign and print your name below.  Your signature indicates that you have read the information provided above, or have had it read to you, and that you have decided to participate. Please return this form in the stamped envelope that is enclosed.
 

 
Date      Signature of Participant
 

 
Date      Witness to Signatures
 
 

   TELEPHONE INFORMATION   FOR THE COLLATERAL

Please list the DAY, TIME and PHONE NUMBER that may be best for completing Phone Interview.  Please remember, there are a number of questions to answer, so list times that set aside 10 minutes to answer all items.

WEEK DAY     TIME OF DAY   AREA CODE -PHONE NUMBER

________            _______               (    )  ________________

________            _______       (    )  ________________

________           _______       (    )  ________________

________           _______     (    )  ________________

  THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION.