Attachment A Focus Group Plan

Attachment A: Focus Group Plan

National Disaster Distress Helpline

Proposed Focus Group Plan

Purpose

The purpose of the focus groups is to gain insight from the target audience—low-income adults who are both parents and caregivers of older adults living in disaster prone areas—about messages and materials being used, and in development for future use. Topics addressed during the groups will include the resources they use during disasters; the ways they handle emotional distress; experiences they’ve had during disasters; and what messages would persuade them call a national helpline. The focus groups will probe from many perspectives on how best to communicate to the public about the DDH and help refine the audience on whom marketing efforts should focus.

These perspectives include how to:

• Raise awareness and use of DDH;

  • Understand that DDH exists and when to call.

  • Best ways to educate about DDH’s multiple “uses,” e.g., texting and calling, Spanish language option; resources for the hearing impaired; website, etc.

• Market the need for DDH, including understanding what messages will resonate with the public and motivate them to call DDH;

• Educate public about symptoms of disaster-related emotional distress and why they may need the service of DDH;

• Position DDH so it is a primary source of support for disaster-related emotional distress among the public;

• Define the services DDH delivers during a disaster (mental health support, counseling, referrals);

• Educate stakeholders to see DDH as a non-duplicative, collaborative, and supportive resource;

• Differentiate the DDH as the only national network dedicated to emotional distress relating to disasters (by making note of the fact they only have one phone number); and

• Define a more specific audience who is either most likely to call the DDH or who most needs support offered through the DDH.

Participants

The following details the unifying characteristics for all focus group participants.

• Living in disaster-prone areas

• Defined by living in a zip code that has experienced one or more major disasters in the last 10 years

• Will purchase lists of people living in these areas

• Will have one group in each of the following regions: Gulf Coast, California and Pacific Northwest, Mid-West, and East Coast

• Experienced a disaster in adult life, within the last 10 years

• Defined by self-report

• Felt distressed related to the disaster, either at the time or later

• Defined by self-report of one or more common symptoms (distilled from DDH materials)

• Low income

• Family income cut-offs defined by Bureau of Economic Analysis, variable by geography

• Will purchase lists of people with low incomes

Segments

The following details the specific segments for which we will screen for the focus groups.

• Rural vs. non-rural (urban, suburban)

• Defined by zip code

• Will purchase lists of people who live in rural areas

• Primary caretakers for young (under 18), older (over 65), or disabled family members

• Defined by self-report

• Some groups of women caretakers only

• DDH callers /texters

• Recruited by crisis centers after a call session

Focus Groups

The following table details the focus group segments by region and characteristics.

Disaster- Prone Areas Within…	Caretaker Women	Caretaker Mixed	DDH Callers/ Texters
Gulf Coast			2 groups
Rural	1 group
Non-rural		1 group
California and Pacific Northwest
Rural		1 group
Non-rural	1 group
Mid-West
Rural	1 group
Non-rural		1 group
East Coast
Rural		1 group
Non-rural	1 group

Additional Information

Gallup will direct all recruitment and other logistics; and prepare the screeners, moderators’ guides, and messages to be tested for advance approval by SAMHSA.

Senior Gallup moderators will facilitate the groups and interviews. We will audio record and transcribe all groups. Gallup will provide SAMHSA with a report that summarizes the findings and provides specific recommendations for applying them to the campaign products and activities.

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