Culture and Family Life Study

What is the Culture & Family Life Study? 

The Culture & Family Life Study is a survey of family life and parent-teen relationships in Illinois and New York, USA and Kingston, Jamaica.  This study is headed by an international research team based in the USA and in Jamaica (see contact information below). We are  trying to learn more about what pre-teens/teenagers and mothers from different cultures  find important and how they relate to each other.  Interested and eligible teenagers and their mothers are invited  to complete a survey after learning more about the study by reading through this page.  

This study will NOT ask you about your legal immigration status or such personal information. Your individual responses will be used strictly for internal research purposes; we guarantee that they will NOT be shared with any other organization, solicitor or government agency. (See section below: "How will my privacy be protected?")

Who can participate?

This study is for male and female teenagers between 11 and 17 years old and their mothers. Only one mother-teen pair from each family is eligible to participate. Each person will complete one survey. 

You will receive a gift for participating

Teenagers and their mothers who complete surveys will each select a gift to be delivered after  both surveys are submitted. If you live in the US, an email address or mailing address (continental US only) will  be needed to deliver your gift card. If you live in Jamaica, a Digicel cell phone number will be needed to deliver your Top Up.

How can I be sure this is not an internet scam?

This study will not ask you for any money or request private information such as credit card information, immigration records, social security number, or taxpayer registration number.  You may also notice that this web page is hosted by the Knox College server, which is the academic institution of the principal investigator, Dr. Gail M. Ferguson. Full contact information for Dr. Ferguson is included below and you are welcome to call or email to ask questions  you may have about the study at any time.  Institutional affiliations and institutional websites for all the investigators are also  provided below, where you may learn more about each researcher. 

How will my privacy be protected?

We take your privacy very seriously. The principal investigator will ensure that each participant’s survey results will be kept private and confidential. Your answers will not be shown to other family members, teachers, pastors, or friends. That means parents will not see their teenagers' answers and teenagers will not see their parents ' answers. Any personal information you provide, such as your name, will be stored separately from you answers entered in the survey. Only members of the research team and our assistants will have access to the data , which will be stored on password protected computers. Results from all participants will be grouped together and analyzed to produce group results. Results from individual participants will not be singled out. Again, this study will NOT ask you about your legal immigration status or such personal information. Your responses will be used strictly for internal research purposes; we guarantee that they will NOT be shared with any other organization, solicitor or government agency.

What are the pros and cons of participating?

Surveys  ask about issues ordinarily encountered in daily life; therefore, participating in this study should not cause undue stress. Rather, participants may benefit from increased personal awareness and improved family communication.  The results of this study may also be used to help educators, health care workers, policy makers, and community organizations  understand the experiences of diverse families today. At the end of this study a summary of results will be made available on this web page to all participants and other interested parties. 

How can I take the survey?


Teen Survey (for pre-teens/teens 11-17 years)
NOTE: You will only be allowed to access the Teen Survey once
  • Do you have 15-25  minutes to complete the survey now?
  • Is a parent/guardian nearby to sign the permission box on the first page of the survey?
  • If your answer to both questions is 'yes', click here to begin the survey now.

Mother Survey
NOTE: You will only be allowed to access the Mother Survey once
  • Do you have 15-25  minutes to complete the survey now?
  • If your answers to this questions is 'yes', click here to begin the survey now.
Principal Investigator  
Gail M. Ferguson, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
Knox College
Illinois, USA
(309) 341-7108
cflstudy@knox.edu
www.knox.edu                        
Co-Investigator                                   
Marc H. Bornstein, Ph.D.  
Child and Family Research
National Institute of Child Health
and Human  Development
National Institutes of Health
Maryland, USA
www.cfr.nichd.nih.gov/
 Co-Investigator
Audrey M. Pottinger, Ph.D.
Department of Obstetrics,
Gynaecology  and Child Health
Faculty of Medical Sciences
University of the West Indies , Mona
 Kingston, Jamaica
www.mona.uwi.edu/

The Culture and Family Life Study is conducted in accordance with the guidelines for ethical human research established by Knox College, the University of the West Indies, and the American Psychological Association.  For independent advice on your rights as a research participant, please contact: (In USA)  Professor Frank McAndrew, Chair, Institutional Review Board, Knox College, 2 East South Street, Galesburg, Illinois 61401, (309)341-7525, email: fmcandre@knox.edu; or (In Jamaica) Professor Archibald McDonald, Dean, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston 7, (876) 927-1297, email: medsci@uwimona.edu.jm.