Study about financial well-being and mental health

You are invited to participate in a research study.

The purpose of this study is to learn how financial well-being and mental health are linked. We focus our study on Hispanics. We would like to learn more about the challenges and opportunities Hispanics face managing their money and household resources.

If you agree to participate in this study, you will answer a total of 8 surveys during a period of 7 months. In the surveys, you will provide information about your household finances, thought process, and health. The first and last surveys should take participants approximately 25 minutes each to complete. You will answer a survey on your mobile phone each month using a free mobile application you download. The monthly surveys should take participants approximately 15 minutes each to complete.

We do not foresee any major risk from participating in this study besides the potential stress of answering questions about money. We hope participants in the study will become more aware of their household finances after answering our questions. Participants might feel more comfortable and empowered to manage their money. This might diminish or eliminate some of the initial stress this study could have created.

Participants will receive $17 dollars for answering a 25-minute survey at the beginning and at the end of the study ($17 for each survey, adding to a total of $34). Participants will receive $10 dollars for answering each of the 15-minutes monthly surveys on a mobile phone ($10 for each survey, adding a total of $60 for 6 surveys). Participants who answer the 8 surveys will receive a total of $124 dollars (bonus of $30). Those who complete all 8 surveys will also be randomly selected to receive an extra $100 dollars at the end of the study (one prize will be given). There will be 100 participants in the study.

Participation in the study is completely voluntary and confidential. All the information collected will be used for research purposes only. In this study we ask for information about your income, expenses, debt, and assets. We will ask a number of questions that have dollar answers. The most useful answer is always an exact amount that truly reflects your situation. However, this is not always possible because you may not know the figure. You can answer our questions using best guesses if you do not know exact amounts. In this study you can consult any knowledgeable person or use any records and notes to answer our questions. Your answers will never be linked to your name. Any data analysis and reporting from this study will not identify participants in any way.

If you have any questions about this study, please feel free to contact your Study Manager, Tania Gutsche, at 855-872-8673 or uashelp@usc.edu.

If you would be interested in being selected for this study, please click the Consent button below.