Are you an informal caregiver for a patient with severe mental illness? If so, you may qualify for
a study and receive compensation.
Vivian Lawrence, HMBA, PhD candidate is enrolling informal caregivers for patients with severe
mental illness for a research study titled “ Informal Caregivers: A post Covid-19 Grounded Theory
Study of Navigating Care for Patients with Severe Mental Illness”.
This study will be conducted to explore the experiences accessing and navigating the healthcare
system when seeking mental health care. The study will also examine the impact of the diagnosis on
various aspects of the caregiver’s life.
Participants must be:
• Participants must be 18 years of age or older
• Caring for an individual over 18 years of age with severe mental illness.
o Participants may be a conservator or
o Acting as patient support person (PSP).
As part of your participation in this study, you have a 10-minute telephone call to determine
eligibility. If deemed eligible and you agree to participate, a Zoom or in-person meeting will be
scheduled to conduct a guided interview. The interview will last between 60 and 90 minutes.
After completing the interview, all participants will receive a $30 WAL MART gift card. A
supplemental interview may or may not be required to obtain clarifications.
Your participation is voluntary. Your responses will remain confidential. If you are an informal
caregiver and are interested in this study, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the PI, Vivian
Lawrence, at vlawren2@uthsc.edu or at (901)496-0723.
This study was reviewed by the University of Tennessee Health Science Center Institutional Review
Board (IRB #24-09942-XP). You may contact Cameron Barclay, MSA, UTHSC IRB Director, at 901-448-4824
or visit the IRB website at http://www.uthsc.edu/research/compliance/irb/ if you have any questions about your rights as a research subject or if you have questions, concerns, or complaints about the research.