» How will my participation in this study make a difference?
There may be no direct benefit to you for participating in this research, however, you may benefit by learning more about yourself through completing the study. Benefits to society include the opportunity to contribute to the development of programs designed to prevent and reduce the health and behavioral problems sometimes associated with alcohol and other drug use in young adults. We sincerely appreciate the time and effort it takes to be a participant and we value the thoughts and comments from every person who participates. Your willingness to report your responses as accurately and honestly as you can is what makes our project a success.

» Are there risks to participating?
There is minimal risk for participating in this study. The risks associated with participation are primarily related to the sensitivity of some of the questions. The risks associated with participation in the study are primarily related to the sensitivity of some of the questions. You will be asked about thoughts, feelings, and personal difficulties that may be private, and personal behaviors such as alcohol and drug use. These questions may make you feel uncomfortable or may seem intrusive, or you may become concerned about your drinking or other health behaviors as you answer the questions. In addition, you are asked to report on illegal behaviors, such as drinking or using marijuana under the legal age, or using controlled substances. As a participant, you are free to skip any questions you do not wish to answer.

» How are you protecting my privacy?
Data will be identified by a PIN code randomly generated for research purposes, not your name. You and the researchers will know the PIN. Your name and contact information will be downloaded and stored separately from your survey responses, using a secure server with 2048-bit encryption. You will not be identified in any research reports or presentations of this research. Your name and contact information will be accessible to research staff for the purposes of contacting you to complete the study, and will be stored separately from your data on computers with password protection and in locked file cabinets. All links between your identifying information and your data will be destroyed at the end of the study and according to records retention requirements. All data will be retained indefinitely identified only by the PIN.

» What are my rights as a participant?
Participation in this research is voluntary, and you are free to skip over any questions you do not want to answer or to stop participating at any time. All of your data will be kept confidential.

» Why do I need to do an identity verification over Zoom?
Since we do provide compensation in the form of Amazon e-gift cards, we unfortunately have individuals who are not eligible for our research studies try to participate. By providing an ID verification, you are helping us keep the integrity of the research, which in turn will make our findings more trustworthy and useful.