TELL-Tool

Your participation in the study, Feasibility Trial of the TELL Tool Intervention is strictly voluntary and confidential.

Assurances for the protection of participants in this study have been received from the University of Illinois Chicago Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol number 2020-1086.

We are looking for parents that used sperm, eggs, or embryos to conceive their child/children and clinicians to participate in the study.

AM I ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE?

Parents, you are eligible to participate in this study if you are:

• Living in the United States or one of its recognized territories
• Have conceived 1 or more children via gamete (egg/sperm) or embryo donation who are currently between the ages of 1 –16 years of age
• Need help talking to your child/children about their donor conception origins
• 21 years of age or older, and
• Speak English.

Clinicians, you are eligible to participate in this study if you are:

• Actively practicing as a healthcare professional (e.g., nurse, physician, psychologist, social worker)
• Providing education and/or counseling to gamete (eggs, sperm) and/or embryo donation-recipient parents about disclosure to their children in the United States or one of its recognized territories
• Able to provide feedback and insight about new tools to assist gamete (eggs, sperm) and/or embryo donation-recipient parents with disclosure to their donor-conceived children
• 21 years of age or older, and
• Speak English.

WHAT WILL I BE ASKED TO DO?

Parents, you will be asked to:

1. Answer some questions about your background such as your age, race and occupation.
2. Complete questionnaires about your thoughts and emotions about telling your child/children about the donor conception.
3. You will then be assigned by chance(like flipping a coin) to one of two groups. If you are in the first group, after completing the questionnaires you will receive the experimental digital program. If you are in the second group, you will receive a digital program that contains information about effective parenting.
4. Then, immediately after you read and view the digital program, we will ask you to complete the questionnaires again and one additional questionnaire to obtain your feedback on the digital program.
5. We will follow-up with you after 4-and 12-weeks and ask you to complete a survey about your progress with telling your child/children about the donor conception.
6. We may ask you to complete an additional phone or zoom interview about the digital tool that we will audio-record.

Parents, it will take you about 2.5 hours to complete the entire study depending on how much time you take to answer questions. For parents that complete the additional phone or zoom interview, the interview will take about 45 minutes. We do encourage both partners to participate in the study in two-parent families, however, if you are a single parent or if your partner does not want to participate in the study in two-parent families, you are eligible to participate.

Clinicians, you will be asked to:

If you meet the eligibility requirements and are interested in participating in this research study, you will need to complete 1 in-depth interview. We will ask you to:

1. Complete a questionnaire about your demographic data, and
2. Agree to be interviewed either by phone or zoom as you view the computerized TELL Tool and/or attention control eBook and you will be asked questions about the tools. The interview will be audio-recorded.

Clinicians, it will take you about 55 minutes to complete the entire study depending on how much time you take to answer questions.

For Both Parents and Clinicians:

Because the study involves the use of computers and email, there is a risk that the files with your answers and responses can be inappropriately obtained by others. Although data you provide will be protected to the extent technologically possible, online security can never be 100% possible.

Each participant will receive an honorarium in the form of a gift card for participating in the study.

More information about the study can also be found on the NIH ClinicalTrials.gov website.

FUNDING SUPPORT