Alcohol
use and negative life events: can being kind to yourself be a protective
factor?
Participant
information Sheet
1.
Invitation
Paragraph
Thank
you for expressing interest in this research study. Before you consent to
participate, it is important to that you are aware of the aims of the research
and what it will involve. Please take the time to read through the following
information carefully. If you would like any further information or if there is
anything that you do not understand, please feel free to contact the
researchers using the contact details on the bottom of this sheet. You do not
have to participate if you decide not to and should only agree to take part if
you want to.
2.
What
is the purpose of the study?
The
purpose of the study is to see whether there is a link between people’s experiences
of early negative life events and alcohol use. The role of self-compassion will
also be explored. Self-compassion relates
to being kind to yourself, accepting that we are all human and make mistakes,
being mindful of our own feelings and not judging ourselves too harshly.
3.
Do I
have to take part?
It is
up to you whether you decide to take part or not. If you decide that you wish
to participate after reading this sheet, please indicate your agreement by signing
the consent form on the next page. You can still withdraw your consent up until
the moment that you fully complete and submit your final questionnaire. After this
point, your data will be fully anonymised, and it will not be possible to identify
individual data.
4.
What
will happen if I take part?
If you
follow the link provided, you will initially be shown an information sheet
relating to the study and a consent form to sign if you decide that you would
like to take part. You will be asked to fill in a short series of online
questionnaires relating to lifetime alcohol use, self-compassion and your
general mental health. This is likely to take no longer than 45 minutes, but
individual response times may vary.
Once
you have completed the questionnaires, you will be shown a debrief sheet
thanking you for your time and providing additional information about the
research aims. If anybody has been affected by any of the items in the study,
there will be details of a number of local organisations who can provide
support on the debrief sheet. This includes the Samaritans, Alcoholics
Anonymous, Person Shaped Support, MIND and Talk Liverpool.
You
will also be given the opportunity to provide your email address to enter a
prize draw to win one of three £100 Amazon vouchers. Winners will be randomly
selected once all the data has been collected.
5.
Are
there any risks in taking part?
This
study does involve asking participants
about negative childhood experiences including
relationships with parents, parental loss, peer and community violence and
trauma within the family home. Due to the sensitive nature of some of the
questions, there is a potential for you
to feel distressed whilst you complete this survey and it is important that
you consider this carefully before you agree to participate. If you feel that
this may upset you, please be aware that
you do not have to take part. If you do complete the study and feel
distressed following this, there will be details
of additional support in the debrief sheet, along with the researcher’s
details should you have any questions.
6.
Are
there any benefits in taking part?
There
is an opportunity to win one of three £100 Amazon vouchers as a thank you for
your participation. Your contribution to the research will help to add to the existing
literature base looking at the risks associated with adverse childhood
experiences, as well as into factors which can protect individuals against
poorer health outcomes.
7.
What
if I am unhappy or if there is a problem?
If you
are unhappy about any aspects of this study and survey, or if there is a
problem, please feel free to let us know by contacting either the lead researcher
(Amy Downing, email: Amy.Downing@liverpool.ac.uk) or research supervisor (Dr Andy
Jones, email: ajj@liverpool.ac.uk) and we will try to help. If you remain
unhappy or have a complaint which you feel you cannot come to us with then you
should contact the Research Governance Officer at ethics@liv.ac.uk. When contacting the Research
Governance Officer, please provide details of the name or description of the
study (Alcohol use and adverse childhood experiences: the mediating role of
self-compassion), the researchers
involved (Amy Downing and Andy Jones), and the details of the complaint you
wish to make.
8.
Will
my participation be kept confidential?
The
questionnaires you complete will be anonymous and will be stored securely in
the department of psychology and only members of the research team will have
access to the data. Your responses will
not be linked to any email address that you provide for entering the Amazon prize draw or to request a summary of the
research results.
Data
will be stored for 5 years after the completion of the project in line with
University of Liverpool guidelines and will be disposed of confidentially after
this time.
9.
What
will happen to the results of the study?
Data
collected during this study will be used to produce a research dissertation,
which will contribute towards the research requirement of the doctorate in
clinical psychology. It is also anticipated the research will be published in a
peer reviewed psychology journal. All data collected will remain anonymous and
you will not be identifiable from the published results of the study. If you would
like to be updated with a summary of the results once these have been analysed,
please indicate this by ticking the relevant box on the debrief page and by
providing an email contact.
10. What will happen if I want to stop taking
part?
You
have the right to withdraw at any time up until you have completed the study by
closing your internet browser. After this point, your data will be allocated a
random number and will be added to the data set where your results will not be
individually identifiable. Therefore it is not possible to withdraw your
participation after the point at which you have completed the study.
11. Who do I contact for further information?
If you
have any questions about the study, please contact either the researcher or research
supervisor on the details below:
Lead Researcher: Amy Downing (Trainee Clinical
Psychologist)
Email: Amy.Downing@liverpool.ac.uk
Research Supervisor: Andy Jones (Research Supervisor)
Email: ajj@liverpool.ac.uk;
Tel: 0151 794 5657
Thank you for taking part in this
research.