Recruitment for phase one of the March 15 Project has now closed.
Who can take part?
We would like to talk to anyone from the Christchurch Muslim community, who was in Christchurch during the attacks on March 15, or soon afterwards. You must be 18 years or older and be living in Christchurch now. If you are a family member of one of the shuhada or someone who was injured, and you moved to Christchurch to support your family, you are also eligible to take part.
We would really like to talk to everyone, including those who are doing well, those who might be struggling and everyone in between.
Why should I take part?
Our motto is Help Us, Help You, Help Our Community.
- Help Us: Your participation will help us to obtain an accurate picture of community needs. The University of Otago is overseeing this project because we have the resources, knowledge and experience to safely run a large project like this and to ensure that all ethical and clinical guidelines are followed for your safety. We also have strong links to a range of service providers.
- Help You: if you would like some support around wellbeing, we can talk about what might be helpful. Many of our participants report very positive experiences through participation, and they appreciate the opportunity to share their experience in confidence.
- Help Our Community, both locally and globally: Our findings will eventually be shared with the Christchurch Muslim community, as well as health and social service providers responsible for policy making, funding and service delivery. If we identify a service that is particularly helpful, then more resources can be put into that. On the other hand, if something is not helpful the funding and resources could be used elsewhere where there is more benefit. We need a large number of participants so the government and other agencies will take notice of our findings and recommendations.
I am coping well after the attack; do I still need to participate?
Yes, we would really as many people as possible to take part, including those who are doing well. The more people who participate the more meaningful the data that we collect will be; it will reflect the ongoing needs of the Christchurch Muslim community and provide evidence for relevant recommendations regarding government policy and funding.
Are you just looking at mental health issues?
No, we are looking at a broad range of issues including what services have been helpful (or not), the role of religion in coping, how socially connected people are and any other outstanding concerns that people might have, among others. Although some parts of the interview do include measures to assess the impact on an individual's wellbeing, this is just a part of it.
Do I have to talk about what happened on March 15?
No, the focus is on how people are doing now. Although we do not ask about your experiences on that day, if you would like to share anything we are comfortable to listen.
How flexible are you?
We know that people are busy and have family responsibilities so we try to make participation as easy as possible. We can offer online questionnaires and zoom interviews as well as face to face interviews at your home, or your choice of several other suitable places. Please contact us to discuss your needs, we should be able to work out a solution that suits you.
My family member is interested but they don't speak good English, can they take part?
Everything has been translated into Arabic, Bangla, Farsi, Somali, Urdu and Turkish. Our Muslim research assistants speak these languages and they can also help with reading, writing and answering any questions in those languages. Please let us know if there are any language concerns, we can usually find a solution. For other languages we can use professional interpreters, if necessary.
I am concerned about my child, will this help?
The measures we are using are designed for adults (18 years and over) but we are in the planning phase to develop something especially for children and youth. If you have a concern about a young person we recommend doing the interview yourself and raising your concerns with the nurse so she can discuss referrals to services that could help.
I am concerned other people in my community will find out I have done the interview.
Confidentiality is very important. Everyone on our team has received training about this and signed documents to say they will never discuss any details about you or your interview. We totally understand that private issues need to be kept private and we absolutely respect that. We do not share details about anyone who has participated, even our research assistants do not know who has done it. Similarly, the nurse's interview is just between the nurse and participant (unless an interpreter is needed) and is only shared with the clinical team for referrals.
I have given a lot of interviews to different organisations. Why is this different?
We understand that many people in the community are tired of being interviewed and telling their story yet again. Unlike the justice process that a lot of you might have been involved with which had a specific legal focus, our project is concerned with individual and community wellbeing over time; understanding the personal impact that the attack has had on those most affected, providing a customised support package if needed, identifying key supports that have been helpful, as well as those that are not, and attempting to identify some positive features such as the role of religion in coping, and what we can learn from those people who are doing well. Members of the Christchurch Muslim community have been involved from the outset, providing endorsement of the project and helping with publicity, as investigators on the research team, as research assistants and also as part of our Muslim reference group which oversees processes and provides valuable input into decision making. We are all Christchurch-based, many of us are Muslim and we all have a personal interest in the wellbeing of our community. The University of Otago is a respected and reputable organisation, we follow good practice with high ethical standards for the protection of our participants, have a very experienced clinical and research team providing oversight and we also have strong links with the CDHB and service support providers to ensure a smooth referral process, if needed. We are here to support the community over the long term.
I'm still not sure...
Please contact us to discuss any concerns, one of our friendly team will be happy to help.