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 " 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:

• Between the ages of 18 and 75 years of age.
• Caring for an individual over 18 years of age with severe mental illness.
• Participant may be a conservator or
• Acting as patient support person (PSP).

As a 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 60-90 minutes. All participants will receive a $30 WAL MART gift card after completing the interview. 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, please contact the PI, Vivial Lawrence at [email protected] 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