A research project is underway at Ulster University investigating the mental health and familial impact of the defective concrete crisis on families in Donegal and across Ireland.
Researchers from the Schools of Psychology, Geography & Environmental Sciences and the Ulster Business School along with PhD Researcher Oisin Keenan are examining people’s different defective concrete-related journeys and the impact it is having in their lives.
A crucial element of the study is a public survey, launched today.
Dr Karen Kirby, Senior Lecturer of Psychology at Ulster University who is the Chief Investigator said: “We are asking anyone over the age of 18 who resides in a property or who is a business owner (or believes they may have a DC issue but have not been tested as yet) to please take the time to complete this online survey, lasting approx. 30mins.
The link to the study can be found at https://ulsterpsychology.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_8J7kZYJk2hwmzgW.
The link includes the participant information details and consent form. Multiple people from the same household are asked to complete the survey.
Dr Kirby added: “It is important to point out that this study is strictly confidential and participants can be assured that their data will not be shared with anyone outside of this research project.
“The findings will provide us with critical insights into how family members have been affected from a mental health perspective.
“We hope to get thousands of participants to engage with this very important study so as we can analyse and quantity the true impact.
“We aim to publish the outcomes in an open access, peer reviewed, scientific journal(s) when complete, and we predict this may be from October 2024”.