Families
Get involved by participating in a study.
We want to learn more about the strength of rural families and communities in Georgia and how they are helping their children’s development.
Participate in a Study
Current Studies
The BRANCH study
The Georgia Center for Developmental Science is looking for families with 6.5-9 year old children to participate in a three-part research study. Families will be compensated up to $390 for completing all stages.
Building Resilience and Nurturing Children’s Health (BRANCH) is a study that aims to work with rural families to understand how families and communities promote strength and resilience to protect their youth from the ways in which stress influences behavioral risk for addictive behaviors, such as substance use.
If interested in participating please click below and complete the eligibility survey.
For further information email gcds@uga.edu or call/text: 706-352-9076
BRANCH Study Parts
The first part of the study includes a home visit. Our team will come to your house and you and your child will play games and complete surveys. Next, we will invite you to our imaging center on UGA’s campus for a brain scan. Discover the whole process below:
Part 1: Family visit (2 hr) & first MRI scan* (2 hr)
- Participants will play games together and answer surveys at the family’s home.
- Child will provide a saliva sample.
- Participants will wear sleep trackers and self-report mood online for 1-2 weeks before MRI visit.
- Participants will visit UGA’s Bioimaging Research Center (BIRC) for the child to receive a safe MRI scan. Guardian will fill out surveys.
Part 2: Second MRI scan (3hr)
- 18 months later, participants will visit UGA for the child to receive a safe follow-up MRI scan.
- Guardian will fill out surveys. Participants in this study will be the child and a legal guardian of the child.
Part 3: Follow-up survey (1 hr, online)
- 18 months later, child and guardian will each take an emailed follow-up survey.
*MRIs do not use any radiation. Risks of this study include potentially upsetting survey questions and mild discomfort due to loud noises from the MRI scanner..
Study Compensation
Up to $390. All monetary compensation paid using ClinCard. a Visa prepaid debit card.
Study Part | Legal Guardian Compensation | Child Compensation | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
Family Visit | $50 | $10 + $10 Toy | $70 |
1st MRI Visit | $80 + $25 for gas | $10 + $10 Toy | $125 |
2nd MRI Visit | $100 + $25 for gas | $10 + $10 Toy | $145 |
Online Survey | $25 | $25 | $50 |
Total | $305 | $85 | $390 |
We offer $50 incentives for every successfully enrolled referral.
Sign Up
Sign up for the BRANCH Study
If you are interested in participating in our study, you can fill out our eligibility survey. Then, we will set up a time to call you to go over the study details and schedule your visits.
Supportive Organizations
Hope for Henry provides MRI gameboards for every participant in the study. These gameboards allow children to celebrate each step they take and it ends with a prize!
Using the Child Life on Call app, we can share resources for MRI preparation and study information with all of our families.
Our virtual reality headset allows kids to practice with an MRI simulator before their scan. This allows them to practice holding still and hear the noises an MRI can make.
Learn more
Learn more about MRIs
We love to learn more about all of the cool things the brain can do. To do this, we take pictures using an MRI machine. MRIs are one of the safest ways to take pictures of the body. The machine uses magnets to get precise pictures of the brain, so no radiation is used.
The MRI can be very loud, but we provide earplugs to children and their caregivers during the scan to help!