Adapting your Research Methods in Response to COVID-19Kimberly Balsam, PhD, Palo Alto UniversityBridget Callaghan, PhD, University of California, Los AngelesMary Fernandes, MA, Georgia State UniversityTeresa Ober, PhD, University of Notre Dame

Peggy Christidis, PhD, American Psychological Association (moderator)

APA Science Directorate

A u g u s t 1 3 , 2 0 2 0 | S t a y i n g o n T r a c k D u r i n g a P a n d e m i c W e b i n a r S e r i e s

Adapting your Research Methods in Response to COVID-19: Webinar Panelists

• Kimberly Balsam, PhDPsychology Professor and Department Chair, Palo Alto University

• Mary Fernandes, MAClinical Neuropsychology PhD Candidate, Georgia State University

• Teresa Ober, PhDPostdoctoral Research Associate, University of Notre Dame

• Bridget Callaghan, PhDAssistant Professor of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles

Palo Alto UniversityDr. Kimberly Balsam

ADAPTING YOUR RESEARCH DURING THE PANDEMIC

TOOLS, STRATEGIES, OPPORTUNITIES

Kimberly F. Balsam, Ph.D.Psychology Department ChairPalo Alto University

RESEARCH IN 2020

HOW DO WE VIEW DISRUPTION TO OUR RESEARCH PLANS?

FIRST THINGS FIRST - TOOLSCognitive flexibility

Self-compassion Mindfulness

Creativity Cultural responsiveness

TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL OF RESEARCH DURING INTERNATIONAL CRISIS

RISE LABhttps://www.riselab.paloaltou.edu/

RISE LAB DATA COLLECTED SINCE MARCH

1. LGBTQ+ EXPERIENCES DURING COVID-19• Cross sectional, web-based survey , quant and qual

2. GENDER KALEIDOSCOPE• Longitudinal 6-month follow up of LGBTQ+ people first surveyed in Oct-Nov 2019 – quant and qual

3. ENBY PROJECT• Mixed methods study to identify unique minority stress among among people with non-binary gender identities –

focus groups will lead to measure development

4. LATINX RESILIENCE STUDY • Cross-sectional survey in Spanish and English of stress, resilience, and mental health

RISE LAB PROJECTS IN PLANNING PHASE1. ANTI-PREJUDICIAL BULLYING INTERVENTION FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL-AGE YOUTH:

• Moving from in-person to online administration, considering student context (i.e., distance learning)

2. LGBTQ+ CLINICAL ACADEMY:• Implementation and evaluation of clinician training for working with LGBTQ+ populations – moving

from in-person to online, changing frequency of meetings

3. PRISM SURVEY: • Survey of plurisexual adults (bisexual, pansexual, etc) regarding stress, mental health, resilience,

mindfulness– adding items relevant to COVID-19, delayed launch of survey

SPECIFIC STRATEGIES

QUALITATIVE DATA COLLECTION: FOCUS GROUPS

• VIDEO•

Online groups may be video or text-based

Opportunities:• Accessible and inclusive

Challenges:• Flow of conversation• Privacy • Tech difficulties

INTERVENTION RESEARCH: CONSIDERATIONS

Can intervention be adapted for online or social distancing?

How will this change the scientific questions you seek to answer?

Can you leverage current events to enhance project?

MEASURES – TO ADAPT, OR NOT TO ADAPT?

Collect empirical information about participants’ experience of pandemic

Validate participants’ experience and gain trust in research team

Two considerations…

SAMPLE ITEMS• Have you experienced any of the

following changes to your employment status due to the COVID-19 pandemic?

• Furloughed from my paid job• Working fewer hours at my paid job• Delay in getting paid• Laid off from my paid job• Chose to stay home from my paid job due

to COVID-19-related concerns• Etc…

• Please describe any specific concerns you have as an LGBTQ+ person during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PARTICIPANT RECRUITMENT• Participants may have more or less time to participate• May wish to share perspectives on pandemic and racial injusticeMotivation

• Participants may really need money, if affected economically• You may not have funding, if study developed rapidly• Sensitivity to over-burdening marginalized groups affected by pandemic and racial injusticeCompensation

• Sensitivity to culture and social context can influence participants’ willingness • Researchers’ web presence may also play a roleAdvertising

OTHER SUGGESTIONS…Consider how your own identities and

experiences influence research

Collaborate within your institution and

beyond it

Interpret findings in

social context

Stay informed

about current events

AN OPPORTUNITY…2020 presents us with an opportunity to rethink…

• The process of psychological research• Our role as psychological researchers

…in social and historical context

Georgia State UniversityMaryFernandes

Adapting Your Research Methods in Response to COVID-19

Mary Fernandes

Received IRB approvalMarch 5th

Emory and GSU clinics closedMarch 16th

Began recruiting and scheduling

participants

Identified alternatives/

consulted with committee

Updated IRB and received approval

June 18th

Began data collection

May 21st June 16th

Considerations

• Online neuropsychological testing platforms• TestMyBrain Digital Neuropsychology Toolkit- normed on 2.5 million

participants• Limitations- sensitivity, validity, security and data privacy, limitations of

normative data and test availability

• Impact of COVID-19-related stress• Consider a control group• Include trauma, stress, anxiety measures • Reference against past literature on pandemics or traumatic events

Considerations

• Data collection• Gauge interest, answer questions, be patient• Send follow-ups • Be ready to troubleshoot technical difficulties • Seek funding to increase financial incentives

• Alternatives to data collection• Free/Open databases• Contacting researchers with available data• Additional research options- literature reviews and meta-analyses, case

studies, etc.

American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS) and other APA Resources

• APAGS Home Page• APAGS COVID-19 Discussion Forum• Defending your thesis or dissertation from home• APA Staying on Track During a Pandemic Webinar Series• ANST resources for trainees (email for pdf)

University of Notre DameDr. Teresa Ober

Adapting Your Research Methods in Response to COVID-19:

Perspective from a Recent Ph.D.

Teresa Ober, Ph.D.Postdoctoral Research Associate

University of Notre Dame

August 13th, 2020

Who am I?

Received a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology, from the City University of New York in 2019

Current Postdoctoral Researcher Associate at the University of Notre Dame

Adapting Your Research: Some Questions to Consider• How far along is the research? Specifically,

• Did you already have a research question in mind before COVID-19?

• Did you already develop a research design or method of data collection before the outbreak/impact of COVID-19?

• Did you already start data collection before COVID-19?

• Is your study ongoing and longitudinal?

I’ve already started data collection. What should I do?• Administer an instrument that captures information about how your

participants may have been impacted.• Effectively end data collection early for a first wave (“pre-COVID-

19”), and administer the study again to examine whether findings hold in a COVID-19 era (~mid-March 2020 or later).

• Ask yourself: How might COVID-19 have impacted my current and future participants? Is there any way I can try to control for potential confounds it might introduce into my research?

I’ve already started data collection...What should I do?• Longitudinal studies, in particular, may face certain challenges. • Here are some possible options:

• Collaborate with other researchers studying a similar topic longitudinally and make a coordinated effort to administer a similar scale to participants.

• Conduct an attrition analysis.• Consider location or community-specific impacts of COVID-19 on participants

.• Ask yourself: Are there any types of analyses that I may perform

(e.g., change point analysis) that might actually provide information about developmental changes in light of COVID-19?

I’ve already planned the study, but have not yet collected data… What should I do?• Can you continue to pursue your research as intended? If not:

• Conduct a secondary data analysis, (systematic) literature review, or meta-analysis

• Develop a new skills that could make future data collection possible• Complete unfinished writing projects for manuscripts, grants, etc.

• Ask yourself: How could my research on this topic contribute to an understanding of the psychological impact of COVID-19?

I’m starting to think about a study… What should I do?• Find out about institutional guidelines for safe study administration.

• Ask yourself: How could future research on my research topic contribute to an understanding of the psychological impact of COVID-19?

• We know very little about the long-term impact of the disease, let alone the long-term social and societal impact, particularly on youth (Lee, 2020).

• Social and behavioral scientists can contribute in addressing important gaps in our understanding of the prevention against, impact of, and resilience to COVID-19 and related factors (Bavel, Baicker, Boggio et al., 2020)

Other Productive Research Activities

• Start or finish manuscripts or gain experience with grant writing.

• Conduct a (systematic) Literature review or meta-analysis, or learn how to.

• Learn a new methodological or analytic technique.• Interviews be conducted online, with an auto-transcription feature, for qualitative

research.• NCME, ICPSR, and other organizations have been holding online training sessions

(often free!).

• Take the opportunity to consider new topics or future collaborations.

Some Options for Adapting Your Research

References and Some ResourcesLee, J. (2020). Mental health effects of school closures during COVID-19. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 4(6), 421. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30109-7

Van Bavel, J. J., Baicker, K., Boggio, P. S., Capraro, V., Cichocka, A., Cikara, M., ... & Drury, J. (2020). Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response. Nature Human Behaviour, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-020-0884-z

ICPSR, Past Virtual Events: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/about/past-events.html

NCME, Past Virtual Events: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBxobaOUJXiyzZgEbwSWrFg/videos

Examples Research on the Psychological Impact of COVID-19:

Holmes, E. A., O'Connor, R. C., Perry, V. H., Tracey, I., Wessely, S., Arseneault, L., ... & Ford, T. (2020). Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science. The Lancet Psychiatry. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(20)30168-1

Horesh, D., & Brown, A. D. (2020). Traumatic stress in the age of COVID-19: A call to close critical gaps and adapt to new realities. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(4), 331-335. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000592

Nowak, B., Brzóska, P., Piotrowski, J., Sedikides, C., Żemojtel-Piotrowska, M., & Jonason, P. K. (2020). Adaptive and maladaptive behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic: The roles of Dark Triad traits, collective narcissism, and health beliefs. Personality and Individual Differences, 167, 110232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110232

Rodríguez-Rey, R., Garrido-Hernansaiz, H., & Collado, S. (2020). Psychological impact and associated factors during the initial stage of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic among the general population in Spain. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1540. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01540

Sun, N., Wei, L., Shi, S., Jiao, D., Song, R., Ma, L., ... & Liu, S. (2020). A qualitative study on the psychological experience of caregivers of COVID-19 patients. American Journal of Infection Control, 48(6), 592-598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2020.03.018

Thank you,for listening!

Teresa OberEmail: tober@nd.eduWebsite: tmober.github.io

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/teresaoberTwitter: @trsober

University of California, Los Angeles

Dr. Bridget Callaghan

Adapting your research during COVID-19

Bridget CallaghanAssistant Professor of PsychologyThe University of California, Los Angeles

Parenting Under Pressure

Specific Needs for this research project• Speed – rapid IRB, rapid recruitment.• Considering what is feasible for families at this

time• How to collect the data?• How to reimburse participants?

Mind, Brain, Body

Research Question: What effect is the COVID-19 related stay-at-home order having on children and families?

Research Question: How do early life experiences influence development of mind, brain, and body in youth?

Specific Needs for this research project• Funded research with data collection already

underway.• fMRI, behavior, biology, what can be moved into

an online format?• Ensuring integrity of data collection through Zoom

sessions.• Online behavioral and biological data collection.• Making it a fun experience for families.

Started during COVID

Existed before COVID

Needed the study to be launched as quickly as possible.

- Anonymous data collection online:

- Expedited IRB review.

Benefits:

• Faster IRB approval

Things to think about:

• Removing questions that would require a follow-up

• Can’t follow people up. You can get multiple time points, but they will be cross sectional.

Speed

• Families are working, schooling, parenting from home.

• Non-parent individuals also have many competing pressures – work, school, mental health concerns, no quiet or private space.

• You might want to do a 40 minute questionnaire, but what can your target population feasibly contribute in terms of time during COVID-19?

• Be transparent about what participants need: camera in computer, available computer, reasonable WiFi connection, private space.

What is feasible for participants at this time?

Recruitment Tools for Online Studies

Benefits:•Great way to get

research done FAST• Improvements in

participant payments• Easy to set up

Things to think about:

• Integration with data collection devices (e.g., RedCap)

• The specificity of filters to select participants

Reimbursement

• If you recruit through platforms, e.g., Prolific, you will pay per participant.

• If longitudinal think of bonuses for research participants to do the next phase.

• You might want something that scales with the size of the study.

• If you are not sure about your response rate will be, you may want to reward every 100th person, rather than mention at the outset that there will be 4 $100 gift cards raffled.

Mind, Brain, Body

Transferring a Study OnlineThings to think about

• What’s manageable in 30-60 minutes at home (with a parent and child)?• Think about who will be in the house, how many computers they will have, if they

have a camera in the screen. What is a plan B if they don’t?• What can’t be done at home (physiology, standardized cognitive tests)?• What can be done at home? (observation of parent child interactions,

questionnaires, behavioral tasks, some biological samples).• Do you want to be there, e.g., on Zoom?, or can they complete on their own? • Remember if it is a longitudinal study, some things can be done in future in-

person waves.

Can I still collect behavior (e.g., RT) effectively online?Zoom + Gorilla/Pavlovia

• Zoom is a flexible platform: breakout rooms can be used for focus groups and discussions. You can record interactions

• We collect our task data through Gorilla which is easy to use and allows for the collection of reaction times (RT),, but there are other options, e.g.,Pavlovia.

Can I collect biological samples at home?Saliva, Stool, Blood, Hair – I can collect these anywhere!

• Participant guided biological sample collection through Zoom.

• Shipping at ambient temperature is easiest – find companies with stabilizing solution to enable ambient temperature stability.

• Overeducate the participants – videos, paper instructions, verbal instructions

Omnigene has saliva and stool collection kits with stabilizing solution that allows ambient shipping

Spot On Sciences – Hemaspot Capillary Collection Device

Hight tech hair collection tools: foil, scissors

Controlling for COVID-19?• Experiences of COVID on families is extremely variable.

• We collect an objective experience and subjective experience questionnaire for every family.

• We will use these as covariates.

• Studies don’t have to be about COVID, but you can’t escape the social climate any study is conducted in.

• Record exact dates and report these in your papers – because COVID progresses quickly.

Mind, Brain, Body StudyStudy Setup

Schedule Participants & Send Welcome

Email

Science BoxArrives in the

MailReminder for

session 2

• Welcome• Parent-child observation recorded on zoom• Parent does questionnaires while child does

behavioral tasks on computer• Guided Biological Sample Collection• Study wrap-up and instructions for next session

Log into Zoom Session with the Family (1 hour)

Session 2 (15 minutes)

Science Box!

Putting forward a friendly face

Thank you for participating in the BABLab Mind, Brain, Body Study! Your team member will be Fran. Fran loves hiking and cooking and traveling with family and friends.

Please log into your session on Monday using this link.

Before your session you will receive a BAB-Box in the mail. This box will have everything you need for your session, you can open it after you start.

Things to think about Online data collection

• Even complicated protocols can be transitions online if you think and plan carefully.

• It won’t be the study you dreamed of, but it will be a good study.• This is a research opportunity (I collected qualitative data for the first time

and loved it!)• Put yourself in the participants shoes - virtual data collection can be

strange.• Define your priorities at the outset (e.g., need data fast, need to follow-up)

and choose the best tools for your purpose. • Take care of yourself in this process.

Kristen Chu Emily Towner

Q & A Session

Adapting your Research Methods in Response to COVID-19

pages.apa.org/staying-on-track