About the study
There is a growing research base to show that a range of mental health diagnoses have the potential to impair cognitive function across various cognitive domains, including planning, inhibition and working memory.
We’ve created a cognitive assessment tool, which can be used to monitor memory and concentration in mental health services, called the Cardiff Online Cognitive Assessment (CONCA).
CONCA is:
- an assessment which involves five memory and puzzle tasks, and takes around 30 minutes to complete
- accessible on various devices, including laptops, tablets and smartphones
- able to provide feedback on performance after the assessment is complete.
Please note we are currently recruiting males aged 16-35 years and healthcare professionals to take part.
How to take part
We’re looking for males aged between 16-35 years and healthcare professionals with experience working in Early Intervention in Psychosis Services (EIPS) to try CONCA. Participants will receive £20 per 1-hour assessment.
If you’d like to take part, please complete an expression of interest form, and one of the team will be in touch.
What to expect
Males aged 16-35 years with a history of psychosis will be asked to:
- Complete questionnaires about their mental health, the five tasks of CONCA and a feedback questionnaire about CONCA and your opinions about monitoring cognitive function in mental health services.
- You will be given the opportunity to complete two follow-up assessments if you wish to do so:
- A 1-hour in-depth interview to gather more insight into your opinions about CONCA and how your cognition has been affected by your mental health.
- Complete CONCA a second time four weeks after your first assessment (30 minutes).
Males aged 16-35 years will be asked to:
- Complete CONCA twice over four weeks so we can look at how consistent the scores are over time.
Healthcare professionals with experience in EIPS will be asked to:
- Complete a 1-hour interview about your opinions on CONCA, whether cognitive testing should become part of early psychosis care and how it could work in practice.
Support
You can complete the study in your own time remotely, or if you’d prefer, our researchers can support you either online or face-to-face at a location of your choice.
Who is doing the study?
This study is led by the National Centre for Mental Health (NCMH). NCMH is a Welsh Government funded Research Centre, led by Cardiff, Swansea and Bangor Universities. It is being funded by Health and Care Research Wales, Welsh Government. The study is led by Dr Amy Lynham. The Director of the National Centre for Mental Health is Professor Jon Bisson.
How can I join the study?
Please complete an expression of interest form, and one of the team will be in touch.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
By completing the five CONCA tasks and giving your feedback, you will help us to make improvements to a cognitive assessment tool that may be rolled out across mental healthcare services in the future. In the long term, it is hoped that CONCA will help health professionals assess patients, identify cognitive difficulties and provide needed support.
What will happen to my personal data?
Only the study team will have access to your data and only they will contact you directly.
All information collected during the course of the research will be kept strictly confidential. There are strict laws that safeguard your privacy at every stage. In accordance with the Data Protection Act (2018) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2018), your personal information will be kept confidential by assigning a unique study code to your data. Your name and identifying information will not be passed on to anyone.
Cardiff University is the Data Controller and is committed to respecting and protecting your personal data in accordance with your expectations and Data Protection legislation. Further information about Data Protection, including:
- Your rights
- The legal basis under which Cardiff University processes your personal data for research
- Cardiff University’s Data Protection Policy
- How to contact the Cardiff University Data Protection Officer
- How to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office
More information may be found here.
We will keep your personal data for 15 years following the end of the research project.
After 15 years, the research team will anonymise all the personal data it has collected from, or about, you in connection with this research project. Anonymised information may be published in support of the research project and/or retained indefinitely, where it is likely to have continuing value for research purposes.
What questions will I be asked now?
When you agree to take part and sign up, you will be asked to provide contact details and some other information about yourself, such as your age and ethnic group. You will also be asked to answer some questions about your well-being, current or recent pregnancy, mental health, and your life experiences.
What questions will I be asked now?
In the expression of interest form, you’ll be asked for your name, contact details and the best method and time to contact you about the study. A researcher from the team will be in touch to provide you with more information about what taking part involves.
If you choose to continue with the rest of the study, you may be asked to complete a short questionnaire about your mental health, complete the five CONCA tasks (like games or puzzles), review your results on the tasks and answer questions about CONCA and your thoughts on using CONCA as a clinical assessment. Please see the ‘What to expect’ section above for specific details on what you will be asked to do.
How often will I be contacted?
After completing the study, you may be contacted and offered the opportunity to complete CONCA again four weeks later. You will also be asked if you are interested in completing a follow-up interview about your experience completing CONCA.
How long will it take?
Completing the study will take between 1 hour and 2.5 hours, depending on what you are asked to do and whether you opt to do the optional follow-up assessments.
- Males aged 16-35 years with a history of psychosis – 60 mins initial assessment, 2 optional follow-ups (interview – 60 mins, CONCA retest – 30 mins)
- Males aged 16-35 years without a history of psychosis – 60 mins (2 x 30 mins assessments)
- Healthcare professionals with experience in EIPS – 60 mins
Can I decline or withdraw from the study?
You do not have to take part in this study. If you do decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw your consent to participate in the research project at any time, without giving a reason, even after signing the consent form.
It will not be possible to withdraw any anonymised data that has already been published or, in some cases, where identifiers are irreversibly removed during the course of a research project, from the point at which it has been anonymised.
What happens when the study has finished?
The results will be published in scientific and medical journals and presented at scientific conferences. The identity of all participants will be kept strictly confidential. With your permission, we will update you on the study results through our NCMH communications, which include newsletters, blogs and podcasts.
Who has reviewed the study?
Ethical approval has been obtained from the National Research Ethics Service and NHS (Research and Development) permission has also been obtained.
If you have further questions about the study, please contact the study team:
National Centre for Mental Health
Cardiff University
Hadyn Ellis Building,
Maindy Road,
Cathays,
Cardiff
CF24 4HQ
Phone: 029 20688401
Fax: 029 20687100
Email: info@ncmh.info
Can I discuss the study with somebody independent of the project?
Yes, you can contact Helen Richards on +44(0)29 2068 8484 or at dpmcndivisionmanager@cardiff.ac.uk. You can also write to her at:
Helen Richards
Division Manager
Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences / MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics & Genomics
Cardiff University School of Medicine
Hadyn Ellis Building
Maindy Road
Cardiff
CF24 4HQ