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Evaluation of COPe-support online resource for carers

The EFFIP project has developed an online resource, called COPe-support (Carers fOr People with Psychosis e-support resource). COPe-support provides peer support, information on psychosis and ways for carers to look after themselves. We are running a study to find out if COPe-support works to improve carers’ wellbeing and how well they cope with caring.

If you would like to participate please click here to join. Please note that you will be asked to complete a survey to assess your eligibility and obtain your consent to participate. We recommend that you read the details below before joining to ensure that you are aware of what is involved.

JOIN THE STUDY!

Who can take part in the study?

We are inviting carers who provide caring support for a loved one with psychosis to join the study. Carers can be parents, partners, siblings, other relatives or close friends. Plus a few other criteria as follows:

  • Adults aged 18 or over;
  • Carers need to have at least weekly contact with the cared-for person although these contacts can be in a variety of formats, including face to face meetings, phone calls, emails, social media such as facebook, or text messages;
  • Able to communicate in English and have regular access to the internet; and
  • Living in England.
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What does participating in the study involve?

We will use a computer to randomly allocate carers to COPe-support or an internet resource webpage on caring (the so-called control). Carers will have access to either resource 24/7 and can use it whenever and however you like, all online. We will also ask you to fill in some questionnaires online to see how you are feeling at the start, half way through, after 4 months and 8 months of using the resource. We will also invite some carers for an individual interview afterward.

Participants will be paid £30 in total for their time.

(Please note that carers who are randomly allocated to the control arm initially will be given the opportunity to use COPe-support afterwards).

If you’d like to find out more

Please read the following:

Contact the project team HERE

To participate in the study

In this space, we will guide you through the steps required for you to take part in the study.

These steps are as follows:

  1. Information giving: Just to be sure you have read and understood what the study is about, and in case there are still things unclear in your mind, we will talk it through and clarify everything.
  2. Eligibility screening: This step checks that the resource is relevant to you and that you meet all the inclusion criteria for the study.
  3. Informed consent: We ask you to consent to participate and agree to a few conditions.
  4. Enrolment: Before you start to use the resource, we will ask you to give us some details about yourself, and your caring situation. Once you complete these questions, you will be given access to the resource-prototype.

All the steps (1-4) should take about 10 minutes if you undertake all the steps on one go. Please bear in mind that the above steps have to be followed one by one, e.g. you can only give consent after completing the eligibility screening, but not vice versa. For whatsoever reasons if you have difficulties getting through any steps, our project coordinator will contact you to help clarify the issues.

START HERE!

Acknowledgement

This study has been reviewed and approved by South Central – Oxford C Research Ethics Committee (REC reference: 18/SC/0104) and Health Research Authority (IRAS Project ID: 240005). The conduct of the study is overseen by an independent Trial Steering Committee.

For the recruitment of participants into the study, the EFFIP Project team acknowledges the support of the National Institute for Health Research, through the Clinical Research Network Mental Health Specialty (CRN: MH), and the following NHS Trusts: