Project Overview
This dataset contains all qualitative and quantitative journaling data collected in “The Pandemic Journaling Project, Subproject 1, PJP - Immigrant Women in NYC” (henceforth PJP-IW/NYC). The Pandemic Journaling Project (PJP) is a combined journaling platform and interdisciplinary, mixed-methods research study developed by anthropologists, with support from a team of colleagues and students across the social sciences, humanities, and health fields. PJP launched in Spring 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic was emerging in the United States. It was created in order to “pre-design an archive” of COVID-19 narratives and experiences and was open to anyone around the world with access to a smartphone or computer. PJP ran on a weekly basis for two years (May 2020 - May 2022). The dataset for the first phase of PJP (PJP-1) can be accessed through the Qualitative Data Repository (QDR). (See Related Data field in Metadata.)
PJP-IW/NYC used a modified version of the PJP platform to pursue two research objectives: 1) examine the ongoing challenges associated with COVID-19 among immigrant women to the US living in New York City (NYC), and 2) explore the feasibility and efficacy of an online journaling-based project with vulnerable populations. The project focused on two immigrant populations in NYC that were particularly hard-hit by the pandemic: the South Asian and Latinx immigrant communities. The project ran from February to August 2023, and it was underway when the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the COVID-19 global health emergency in May 2023. PJP-IW/NYC was approved as a research study by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at the University of Connecticut. Eligibility criteria for participation included: 1) identify as an immigrant, 2) identify as a woman, 3) aged 18 years or more, 4) born in a country in South Asia or Latin America, and 5) currently live in NYC. The interface was accessible in English, Bangla (Bengali), and Spanish. Similarly to PJP-1, participants could create journal entries using their choice of text, images, and/or audio recordings.
Data and Data Collection Overview
This dataset contains all journal entries and closed-ended survey responses submitted as part of the PJP-IW/NYC study, along with accompanying descriptive and explanatory materials. The dataset includes individual journal entries and accompanying quantitative survey responses from a total of 34 participants, of whom 24 are from South Asia and 10 participants from Latin America. Of the 427 journal entries in total (248 from the South Asian sample and 179 from the Latinx sample), 47 included images and 12 were submitted as audio files. Each time a participant created a journal entry, they could choose to submit it as text or by attaching it as an audio file; an image with accompanying text; or an image with an accompanying audio file. All attached files, regardless of format, are cataloged as they were submitted. As a result, one video file has been cataloged with the images. Twenty-nine of the images consist of photos and one video of hand-written journal entries in Bangla.
Some entries are labeled as "dup," which denotes that a participant completed a specific survey (e.g., survey 10) more than once. All data were collected via the Qualtrics survey platform. PJP-IW/NYC participants were introduced to the project by local community-based organization (CBO) partners that serve immigrant women from South Asian and/or Latin American countries. Information about the study was also provided on PJP’s website, an archived version of which is also shared here (Project Webpages). Prospective participants received a code from CBO partners that they then used to access the online eligibility screener. Those deemed eligible were invited to read an online information sheet and give their consent. They were then taken directly to the baseline survey and Week 1 journaling prompts. Participants were asked to provide a single piece of contact information — an email address or mobile phone number — which was then used to distribute subsequent bi-weekly invitations to participate over the next six months. This contact information has been stripped from the dataset and is not accessible to researchers.
Each bi-weekly invitation to journal included a link to that week’s journaling prompts and, periodically, several accompanying survey questions, which can be found in “Quantitive Survey Questions.” In addition to journaling, the project also included other research methods that generated data. Around Month 3, participants were invited to participate in an in-depth interview about their experiences of life disruptions associated with COVID-19. Interviews centered on shifts in relationships, jobs, and housing, as well as the ongoing impact of such disruptions on participants’ mental health and perceptions of wellbeing. At the end of the project, at Month 6, they were invited to take an exit survey and/or participate in a focus group about their experience participating in the project. To minimize attrition, participants were offered gift cards as a thank you for their participation ($10 for each survey, $30 for participation in an interview and/or focus group, and a $20 bonus if they participated in all three). The PJP-IW/NYC dataset archived at QDR includes only journal entries and survey questions and not data generated through other research methods.
All participants received the project’s narrative prompts and accompanying survey questions in the same order, regardless of when they joined the study. The baseline survey presented to participants in Week 1, before contributing their first journal entries, collected demographic information, as well as self-reported data about COVID-19 exposure and physical and mental health status. Additional survey questions were asked in several subsequent surveys. Surveys employed validated questions where possible.
The core of PJP-IW/NYC involved bi-weekly opportunities to create two journal entries on a specific theme in participants’ format of choice (text, image, and/or audio). Themes were reflected in the prompts provided to participants. Themes included emotions, work/school, life disruptions during COVID-19, relationships, extended family, household/home, illness and loss, social connectedness and community, discrimination and inequality, reflections on the pandemic, and experiences of journaling. Every other week for six months, journalers received a link with an invitation to create one entry in response to one set prompt and a second journal entry in response to their choice of two additional prompts. Participants also were offered an optional third opportunity to share anything else they wished to include.
Organization of the Project
A full Table of Contents for the project can be found as one of the files tagged “documentation” and publicly available at QDR. Broadly, all project materials are organized into three categories:
- Descriptive Materials
- Background Materials
- Data Files
Data Access
The PJP team is depositing PJP-IW/NYC data at QDR in order to make it possible for other scholars to conduct analyses of the materials and produce additional research products. All participants who gave consent to participate in PJP-IW/NYC agreed to have their journal entries deposited for sharing with other researchers. Prior to 2047, PJP-IW/NYC data will be accessible via QDR to interested researchers who obtain appropriate permissions and follow QDR data protection protocols, as well as the procedures and policies of their own institutions’ IRBs. Through 2028, all data requests must also be reviewed and approved by the PJP Principal Investigators following the procedures outlined in PJP’s Terms of Access Agreement.
If interested in pursuing data access, please consult the Terms element in the projects metadata and read carefully the Terms of Access Agreement file (A-03). Please note that since the shared materials contain personally identifiable information, you will have to obtain IRB / ethics board approval for secondary use of the data. The first step in the process is to request access via the QDR system "guestbook" and answer all questions you are presented with. If your request is deemed feasible, QDR’s staff will connect you with the depositing PIs for guidance in preparing your local IRB / ethics board application. Following these steps will ensure the smoothest and fastest response to your access request.
From 2047 onward, all PJP-IW/NYC data will become a fully accessible public archive via QDR. |
