Lesbian Health Survey- Can you help this PhD Student?? PLEASE!!

[Toughy]

Originally Posted by Hokie Girl

Another GREAT question, Corkey. You are correct; it has been created with parameters that include only the female-bodied folks. But that makes me think for the next step in researching this topic. THANK YOU!

PS- As an aside, you all are providing me really good practice for my defense!

I understand this to mean that FtM's could participate, but not MtF's.

What about intersexed folks? How are you defining female bodied?

[Hokie Girl]

Okay. . . again, THANK YOU for your feedback. This is very helpful and extremely useful for future studies.

First, several of the scales included in this survey are reliable and validated measures created by scholars much more skilled and educated than I. So, for those questions, we are locked in. . . and for the questions that excluded some folks' identities, I sincerely apologize. We needed a starting point, and in reviewing the literature, it has been well-documented that bisexual females and lesbians did not have distinct enough differences in the areas measured within this survey to not include both identities. While I realize these identities do not even come close to encompassing all female identities, we had to create initial parameters to make assumptions about what these data will reveal. So. . . I do understand these concerns, and they are valid criticisms that will be considered as I move forward in my career.

Truly, I thank you for all the feedback! I'm excited that so many people are interested in topic. That is very encouraging!

Best,
HG

[Toughy]

You didn't answer my question so.........

I was involved in design, implementation and follow up of clinical community based pharmaceutical research for years. I also was Chair of an Institutional Review Board and served on other IRBs that reviewed both clinical and KABB surveys. Research is not foreign for me. I also wrote and evaluated Informed Consent documents. I have also been a volunteer/participant in clinical and non-clinical research.

How do you define lesbian? This is an important point and should have been covered by your IRB. Your consent form does not define lesbian. Nor have you answered any questions concerning your definition of lesbian and what female bodied individuals meet your criteria for a lesbian.

Your Consent Form also does not give references to what studies were done that validated your premise that lesbians as a whole have health outcomes that are less than the outcomes of non-lesbians, based on your parameters. What data do you have to support your premise? A summary from you is not necessary. Just a link or two or three to the references supporting your research question.

I entirely resent the fact you will not allow potential participants to review this survey before answering the questions. This would have never passed any IRB I ever have been involved with. Participants/volunteers have a right to read all the question before they make a decision about participation.

KABB surveys require sophisticated questions and answers. How those questions and answers are framed significantly affects the outcomes portion of your analysis.

I would suggest that despite the approval given from your IRB, that you have NOT provided informed consent for participation.

Be glad I am not on your thesis review board nor was I involved in your IRB review. So far as I know given the information you provided, you are greatly lacking.

[suebee]

Just completed the questionaire. I'd just point out that some of the questions don't give a valid option given previous questions. For instance question 36 assumes that the subject has endulged in 5 or more drinks in one sitting when I'd already answered that I drank less than that. Just one example, but some other questions present no option given answers to previous questions.

The whole section concerning "your neighbourhood" seems to presuppose urban living.

And of course, you're presuming we all live in the states. I'm Canadian. SOMETIMES known as the 51st state, but don't believe everything you hear.

Good luck in your research!
Sue

[Melissa]

I didn't really pay much attention to this survey when it first went up. But since Toughy has decided to be so nasty about it I'm going to go take it. This from a female bodied woman who ids as lesbian and has for nearly 20 years (even though some people don't seem to think I'm entitled to that id any more because I now partner with an FTM). You know we could go round and round on this survey all we want but my guess is if you id as lesbian and female bodied you can go take it if you want to.

Melissa

[Toughy]

Originally Posted by Melissa

I didn't really pay much attention to this survey when it first went up. But since Toughy has decided to be so nasty about it I'm going to go take it. This from a female bodied woman who ids as lesbian and has for nearly 20 years (even though some people don't seem to think I'm entitled to that id any more because I now partner with an FTM). You know we could go round and round on this survey all we want but my guess is if you id as lesbian and female bodied you can go take it if you want to.

Melissa

I was not being nasty. I simply put on the hat I would wear if I was sitting on the Institutional (Ethics) Review Board that is required by law to approve this KABB survey.

Asking simple and hard questions about using us as guinea pigs for public health surveys that affect what health care services are available to 'lesbians' is not nasty. It is a requirement.

I find any and all researchers who will not answer simple questions, much less hard questions to be suspect regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

edited to add: Melissa.......I was not asking for your definition of lesbian (as far as I am concerned you are a lesbian if you say you are). The researchers definition of lesbian is what is important. KABB surveys are delicate instruments given to huge amounts of false data if the definitions of the researcher are different than that of the participants.

additional edit...........and please don't get me started on what you valid information you can find with an n of 250. What statistical evaluation are you doing for this survey. It's not a study. It's a dissertation survey.

[Melissa]

Originally Posted by Toughy

I was not being nasty. I simply put on the hat I would wear if I was sitting on the Institutional (Ethics) Review Board that is required by law to approve this KABB survey.

Asking simple and hard questions about using us as guinea pigs for public health surveys that affect what health care services are available to 'lesbians' is not nasty. It is a requirement.

I find any and all researchers who will not answer simple questions, much less hard questions to be suspect regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

edited to add: Melissa.......I was not asking for your definition of lesbian (as far as I am concerned you are a lesbian if you say you are). The researchers definition of lesbian is what is important. KABB surveys are delicate instruments given to huge amounts of false data if the definitions of the researcher are different than that of the participants.

additional edit...........and please don't get me started on what you valid information you can find with an n of 250. What statistical evaluation are you doing for this survey. It's not a study. It's a dissertation survey.

But you are not on the IRB board for this survey. The survey writer gave a link directly to her Univ, her program and her own bio with a picture. Her name and diss advisor name is on the survey. She needs this to complete her diss so she can graduate. I think that your attitude toward this creates a bad image of this site. If you have personal/professional problems with this survey you should contact the Univ and her advisor or the admin of this site and ask for the thread to be closed.

Melissa

[Toughy]

Originally Posted by Melissa

But you are not on the IRB board for this survey. The survey writer gave a link directly to her Univ, her program and her own bio with a picture. Her name and diss advisor name is on the survey. She needs this to complete her diss so she can graduate. I think that your attitude toward this creates a bad image of this site. If you have personal/professional problems with this survey you should contact the Univ and her advisor or the admin of this site and ask for the thread to be closed.

Melissa

So I am, as a potential participant/volunteer in this survey (it IS NOT a study), supposed to just not ask questions about the survey? I, as a potential participant/volunteer am just supposed to shut my pretty little mouth and not ask questions of clarification about a survey for an academic dissertation.....be someone's guinea pig so they can call themselves Doctor......that has the potential to affect my ability to access appropriate health care?

As a potential participant, I cannot and will not put aside my years of experience in this field. Trust me........nobody wants me in their clinical trials or KABB surveys. They hate me. I ask the hard questions. I demand referenced information. I demand access to all information the researchers have. It is my right, if I am to volunteer my body or my experiences about my health to some academic in some institution of higher learner.

Her credentials and bio and those of her advisors are nice to have, but have really no relevance to Informed Consent documents. The Informed Consent document she provided did not answer my questions, nor has she answered my questions. As a potential volunteer/participant this is not acceptable and I have no choice but to not participate and suggest that anyone who asks me about this not participate.

Questions are never wrong. Avoiding questions or not fully answering questions is cause for stepping back and reconsidering.

A survey of 250 'lesbians' (without a definition) that the researcher proposes might affect the quality and kinds of health care I receive definitely requires close scrutiny. 250 self defined lesbians hardly provides any statistical significance in future health care for lesbians. It might however justify her dissertation conclusions in the minds of her advisory board. 250 lesbians answers to a poorly prepared questions and IFC documents should never affect my health care. The grade her advisors give her for this is entirely on them.

By asking me to take off the IRB hat is like asking me to cut off my head. IRB is about ethics. Ethics are who I am personally in the world. The totality of my experience drives my questions.