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Posted: 7/15/21

Survey Volunteers Sought for Ongoing, Global COVID-19 Research Study, TAMIU Prof Says

 

Dr. Angelique Blackburn
Dr. Angelique Blackburn, TAMIU researcher  

A recent research study on the COVID-19 Pandemic is tackling additional opportunities for insight and needs survey volunteers, said a Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) professor involved in the study.

“The previous study was launched Spring 2020 and resulted in one of the largest open-access datasets on the psychological impact of COVID-19, with a total of 173,426 participants from 179 countries on six continents,” said Dr. Angelique Blackburn, assistant professor of Psychology at TAMIU.

The COVIDiSTRESS Global Consortium has launched an extension to its study, dubbed: “Living A Year with the Pandemic.” While the initial research study resulted in one of the largest, open-access datasets on the psychological impact of COVID-19 Pandemic, researchers are now focusing on data collection aimed at understanding the Pandemic’s global psychological impact one year later. 

Participation in the survey is anonymous and open to individuals ages 18 years of age or older. Individuals interested can help by answering the survey. It is also available in Spanish. The survey will remain open through Sunday, Aug. 8.

Currently, Dr. Blackburn represents TAMIU as a member of the COVIDiSTRESS Consortium, an international collaboration exploring peoples’ experiences throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic. 

“This survey is available in 48 languages on our website and nearly 8,000 people have participated already! Locally, it is our goal to collect responses from speakers of all languages in Laredo and the United States more broadly, to ensure that our region is represented in the global sample,” Blackburn explained.  

Findings have been published using the collected data, including findings on the disproportionate impact of the Pandemic in different countries, groups that are more susceptible to Pandemic-related stress, and factors likely to impact compliance with measures designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. 

Additional data collected addresses new developments, such as vaccine availability and attitudes, said Blackburn. 

“We also have concentrated our efforts on expanding our global representation to include areas that we were unable to reach in the first round, for instance, countries in Africa where vaccine availability is drastically different than in the United States,” Blackburn noted.  

For Blackburn, working on an international initiative has been a rewarding experience as a researcher. 

“Working on a project of this scale has been a tremendous honor and learning experience. I was asked to join the team before we developed the first survey, so I have been fortunate to lend my expertise in survey design while learning about international data management and sharing at every stage in the process. Working with such a large-scale and influential dataset with researchers all over the world has resulted in rich scientific discussions and expanded my skill set as a researcher,” Blackburn explained. 

Recently, Blackburn was commended for her efforts and nominated as a recipient of the COVID-19 Data Hero by the internationally recognized Data Access, Transparency and Advocacy (DATA) Group. Additionally, she began a longitudinal study on the impact of COVID-19 in Laredo. The research offers an opportunity to understand a community before its first local COVID-19 case through the time when the community became a COVID-19 hotspot. 

For more information on the study and volunteer participation, contact Dr. Angelique Blackburn at 956.326.2666 or email  angelique.blackburn@tamiu.edu.