Information Form
Title of Project: An investigation into factors associated with body-related mental health issues.
Student researchers:
Iona Mackinlay-Vich (2560111M@student.gla.ac.uk)
Emma Simpson (2561072S@student.gla.ac.uk)
Supervisor:
Dr Eugene Dawydiak (eugene.dawydiak@glasgow.ac.uk)
You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide to take part, it is important for you to understand why the research is being conducted and what it will involve. Please read the following information carefully and take time to decide whether or not you wish to take part. Feel free to ask any questions via the emails detailed above.
What is the purpose of the study?
The purpose of this study is to investigate factors associated with negative body image and orthorexia nervosa symptoms within a non-clinical sample.
What will I have to do?
You will be asked to log on to the online software Experimentum, created by the University of Glasgow’s School of Psychology, as an anonymous guest, and record your age and gender identity. You will then be asked to fill out three questionnaires – a 7-item questionnaire assessing body image concerns, a 21-item scale based on eating habits and related attitudes, and a 21-item questionnaire assessing how disgusting you find certain concepts (related to either pathogen, moral or sexual disgust). We anticipate that participation will last no longer than 15 minutes.
We hope that you will find taking part in our research to be a worthwhile activity. Your views and experiences are highly valuable to us.
Why have I been chosen?
Anyone over the age of 18 is invited to participate in this study.
Do I have to take part?
No, you can choose whether you would like to take part in this research. If you do decide to take part, you remain free to withdraw from the study up until you click the final submit button. You must be over the age of 18 to take part.
Are there possible disadvantages or risks in taking part?
We do not anticipate any risks or disadvantages. We hope the experience will be positive and interesting for you. We do understand that reading questions on ‘disgusting’ concepts and sharing thoughts on potentially sensitive topics related to body image and eating habits could be emotionally disturbing for certain individuals. We encourage you to consider this whilst reminding you that you have a right to withdraw at any point during the study and your data will not be used. It is also important to highlight that if there are any questions you do not feel comfortable answering, you do not need to respond. After the study, you will be presented with a debrief form that will provide you with contact details for support services in case you feel the need for support or advice. Due to the study taking approximately 15 minutes, we also encourage you to take breaks whenever necessary and complete the study in a comfortable place, with plenty of water and snacks nearby.
Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential?
Participation is entirely anonymous, and you will only be asked to provide information on your age and gender identity. Because we won’t be able to identify your answers, there is no chance of retracting your data once you click the final submit button. If you wish to withdraw from the study, you must discontinue before completing the study.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
Anonymous results of this study will be presented in a student research dissertation and may also be presented at conferences or published in journals, books, or the popular media. Data will be gathered using GDPR compliant software and stored on a secure server. Data may be made publicly available in an online database for re-analysis by other researchers.
All data and results will be anonymous, kept confidential, and securely stored at all times. All data collected will be kept on a password protected computer with an encrypted hard drive for the duration of the project.
Who can I contact if I want more information?
If you would like any additional information relating to the study, please contact the researcher or the project’s supervisor (details above).
Complaints
If you wish to raise a complaint on how we have handled your personal data, you can contact the University Data Protection Officer who will investigate the matter. Our Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotectionofficer@glasgow.ac.uk.
If you are not satisfied with our response or believe we are not processing your personal data in accordance with the law, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) https://www.ico.org.uk.
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