Sleep Quality, Traits and Student Mental Wellbeing

Researcher: Lucia Minto 2509715M@student.gla.ac.uk

Supervisor: Dr Maria Gardani, School of Psychology, University of Glasgow

Ethical approval: College of Science and Engineering Ethics Committee, University of Glasgow

Participant Information

Invitation: You have been invited to take part in the above research project because you are a student, aged 17 years or over, attending a UK university. 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 contact me if anything is not clear or you have any enquiries about the project. Take time to decide whether you wish to take part. Thank you for reading.

Purpose of the study: The study is being conducted to collect data for a postgraduate student dissertation project investigating the relationships between different traits and behaviours, sleep habits, and mental wellbeing of students.

What will happen if I agree to take part?

Informed consent: Participation is voluntary. If you agree to take part, you will be asked to give your consent at the end of this page.

Procedure: The study combines a set of questionnaires on sleep, traits and mental wellbeing, into a survey. The first questionnaire asks you to recall your sleep quality and duration over the past month, and about your preferred sleeping patterns. The second asks you to rate how much you agree with statements relating to your traits and behaviours. The third asks about your mood over the past week. Finally, general information about you will be collected at the end. This demographic information will be used to classify data for analysis and will not include any information that would identify you as an individual. You will not be contacted afterwards or asked to carry out any additional tasks.

Time to complete: The survey will take 15-20 minutes to complete. Please ensure you have enough time to complete in one sitting as it is not possible to save your answers and return later.

Confidentiality: Your data will be collected, stored and processed in accordance with The General Data Protection Regulation (2018). Data will be stored on secure servers at the University of Glasgow for up to 10 years, after which it will be securely destroyed in accordance with the relevant standard procedures. The anonymised data may be shared publicly online via the Open Science Framework.

Right to withdraw: You have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, without providing a reason, by simply closing the browser window. Your responses will not be recorded if the browser window or tab is closed before you reach the end of the study. There is no penalty if you decide to withdraw your participation. As your responses are anonymous at the point of data collection it will not be possible to withdraw your data after you have completed the survey.

Payment: There is no payment for participating in this research.

Are there any risks, could I be harmed by taking part?

Risk: The questionnaires used in this study are not diagnostic; however, answering questions about your mood may cause you to focus on distressing emotions or troubling thoughts. This does not mean that you have a mental health condition, but it is important to seek further advice if thoughts and feelings are interfering with your daily activities, or you feel unable to cope. You may wish to talk to a close friend or family member, or seek advice from your university counselling service, or contact your GP. Links to online self-help resources are provided at the end of this study. If you are considering harming yourself or experiencing thoughts about suicide, please urgently tell someone close to you or call the Samaritans free on 116 123.

Participant Consent

I have read the above Participant Information and I know what to expect during the study. By clicking below to enter the survey I consent to participate in the study “Sleep Quality, Traits and Student Mental Wellbeing”

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