We invite you to participate in NEON Implementation, a study aimed at increasing knowledge about how young adults share their experiences of coping and recovery related to mental health challenges. We seek to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and strategies that help young people navigate difficult times and how they experience recovery.
Such personal stories are often referred to as recovery stories in professional terms, but we want to focus on how young people themselves describe their experiences and what has been helpful in their coping and recovery process.
You are invited to participate in an individual interview or a focus group. For young participants, this will be an individual interview lasting up to one hour, where we will discuss your experiences with sharing stories of coping and recovery related to mental health challenges. We are interested in how you understand and use such stories, and with whom you share them.
For professionals, we organize focus groups where we explore how coping, and recovery stories are applied in clinical practice.
We will also collect background information such as age, place of residence, and education. Audio recordings from the interviews will be anonymized. Your contribution will help us develop better digital health tools for young people.
Coping and recovery stories can be shared in many different ways and in various contexts—for example, with friends, family, or relatives, in interactions with professionals, or through blogs and social media. We want to learn more about how such stories are shared and their significance for you and other young people.
Your contribution is valuable in increasing our knowledge about how coping and recovery stories are used among young adults and professionals. You can help us understand both the potential and the limitations of such stories. While participation in the study does not involve any risks, some questions may evoke uncomfortable emotions. If this occurs, we recommend that you speak with someone you trust or use the resources we have compiled for further support.
Participation is voluntary, and you have the right to request access to, correction, or deletion of data as long as you can be identified in the material. If the data has been used in analyses, data simulations, or learning materials, the original data can be deleted, but the processed material will remain. You have the right to file a complaint with the Norwegian Data Protection Authority (Datatilsynet) or the Data Protection Officer if needed. If you wish to withdraw or have any questions, you can contact the project leader. More information can be found under the contact information section.
The information collected will only be used for the purposes of the project and can only be expanded with approval from the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) or an ethics committee. After the project concludes in 2029, the data will be stored for five years and then anonymized. Nord University is responsible, and only the project leader and the PhD candidate will have access to the data. The data will be securely stored at the University of Oslo, where personal information is replaced with codes. Fictional names will be used in publications, but full anonymity cannot be guaranteed.
A follow-up project, including a randomized controlled trial, may be considered. If this happens, we will contact you for information and ask if you would like to participate. No data from this project will be used without first obtaining new consent from you.
We process your information based on public interest and for purposes related to scientific research. To ensure participation and transparency in the research process, we will also obtain your consent.
Nord University, represented by project leader Kristin Berre Ørjasæter, is responsible for data protection in the project. On behalf of Nord University, the data protection services at Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research, have assessed that the processing of personal data in this project complies with data protection regulations (reference number: 545210).
The Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) have conducted an ethical review and approved the project (reference number: 664616).
Sámi Health Research has also conducted an ethical review and granted Sámi collective consent to carry out the research project (reference number: 1119960).
If you have questions about the project, experience any unwanted events, or wish to withdraw from participation, please contact:
Kristin Berre Ørjasæter, Project Leader, The NEON Young Norway Study. Phone: +47 742 12337 Email: kristin.b.orjasater@nord.no
Malle Vogelsang, PhD Candidate, NEON Young Implementation. Email: malle.vogelsang@nord.no
Our Data Protection Officer: Toril Kringen, Data Protection Officer at Nord University. Phone: +47 74 02 27 50 Email: toril.i.kringen@nord.no
If you have questions related to Sikt's assessment of the project, you can contact them by email at personverntjenester@sikt.no, or by phone at +47 73 98 40 40.