PARTICIPANT INFORMATION FOR QUT RESEARCH PROJECT
– Online Survey –
Reliability of the Experience of My Partner Scale
QUT Ethics Approval Number 5890
| RESEARCH TEAM |
| |
| Principal Researcher: |
| Prof Robert Schweitzer |
Supervisor |
| |
| Associate Researcher: |
| Mr David Kramer |
Honours Psychology Student |
| |
Faculty of Health
Queensland University of Technology (QUT) |
| |
Why is the study being conducted?
This project is being undertaken as part of an Honours project by David Kramer.
The purpose of this research project is to assess the reliability of the Experience of My Partner Scale (EMPS). Assessing the reliability of the EMPS can contribute new understandings to relationship dynamics and relationship health.
Potential participants will be people in a romantic relationship of any length of time or sexual orientation, and aged 18 years and over.
You are invited to participate in this project because you meet the above conditions.
You will not be able to participate in this study if:
• You are under 18 years of age;
• You are not currently in a romantic relationship (defined as: mutual, ongoing and voluntary interactions between two partners that is characterised by expressions of affection and intimacy);
• If you have any sense of feeling coerced or forced to participate;
What does participation involve?
Participation will involve completing a 30-item Likert style questionnaire (from 1 - not at all to 5 – yes, all the time) that will take approximately 30 minutes of your time.
Questions on the survey will include:
• In relation to communicating with me, my partner: is aware of and can express his/her own thoughts.
• In relation to understanding different perspectives, my partner: recognises that I have thoughts, feelings and behaviour which might be different to his/hers.
• In relation to conflict, my partner: mostly denies there is a problem.
Your participation in this research project is entirely voluntary. Although fully completing the survey is preferred, if you agree to participate you do not have to complete any question(s) you are uncomfortable answering. Further, you may take breaks as needed if you are exceeding the expected time frame of 30 minutes. It is recommended that you complete this survey by yourself, without the influence of other people. Your decision to participate or not participate will in no way impact upon your current or future relationship with QUT (for example your grades) or associated external organisation. If you do agree to participate you can withdraw from the research project during your participation without comment or penalty. However, as soon as any data is entered into the survey, it may be used for analysis. Further, de-identified data from this project may be used in future studies.
What are the possible benefits for me if I take part?
It is expected that this research project will not directly benefit you. The outcomes of the research, however, may benefit the couple relationship research field, and those in romantic relationships supported by relationship health practitioners.
What are the possible risks for me if I take part?
The research team has identified the following possible risks in relation to participating in this study:
• Given the nature of what we are researching, you may experience some level of discomfort in answering some of the questions, in the questionnaire. It is not unusual, in this type of situation, for people to feel a level of discomfort, and even distressed, by sharing sensitive personal material, relating to yourself, your partner and your particular experiences with others. Access to support services will be provided within the survey to ensure these experiences can be discussed with the appropriate professional supports.
• As the EMPS is related to relationship health, participants may be concerned about their relationship being assessed. Assessments of couple health will not be part of this research, as the purpose of this study is to understand the reliability of the EMPS only. No identifiable data is collected on individuals during the survey, therefore no information about their specific relationship can be, or will be divulged or assessed.
In case you experience any discomfort or distress, you can access support from the following sources: QUT provides for limited free psychology, family therapy or counselling services (face-to-face only) for research participants of QUT projects who may experience discomfort or distress as a result of their participation in the research. Should you wish to access this service please call the Clinic Receptionist on 07 3138 0999 (Monday–Friday only 9am–5pm), QUT Psychology and Counselling Clinic, 44 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, and indicate that you are a research participant. Alternatively, Lifeline provides access to online, phone or face-to-face support, call 13 11 14 for 24-hour telephone crisis support.
What about privacy and confidentiality?
All comments and responses are anonymous i.e. it will not be possible to identify you at any stage of the research, because personal identifying information is not sought in any of the responses and no traceable information is collected via the server or survey tool within this survey.
Any data collected as part of this research project will be stored securely as per QUT’s Management of research data policy. Data will be stored for a minimum of 5 years, and can be disclosed if it is to protect you or others from harm, if specifically required by law, or if a regulatory or monitoring body such as the ethics committee requests it.
Please note that non-identifiable data collected in this project may be used as comparative data in other current and/or future research projects or stored on a selection of databases in different subject areas that are freely available on the internet for secondary analysis.
At the completion of the project, you can receive a summary report of the findings from this research. No identifying information will be included in the report. The report may include quotations from people’s accounts of their experiences. These quotations will not contain any information that might lead to a particular quote being attributed any particular person. Please provide your email address upon completion of the survey to receive a summary of findings. This is not compulsory, and the email address is captured separately from the survey results, so cannot be used to identify the specific survey responses of any participants.
How do I give consent to participate?
By agreeing to the consent check you consent to the research team collecting and using survey data for the research project.
What if I have questions about the research project?
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact:
| David Kramer |
Honours Student |
dm.kramer@connect.qut.edu.au |
| Robert Schweitzer |
Supervisor |
r.schweitzer@qut.edu.au |
What if I have a concern or complaint regarding the conduct of the research project?
QUT is committed to research integrity and the ethical conduct of research projects. If you wish to discuss the study with someone not directly involved, particularly in relation to matters concerning policies, information or complaints about the conduct of the study or your rights as a participant, you may contact the QUT Research Ethics Advisory Team on 07 3138 5123 or email humanethics@qut.edu.au
Thank you for helping with this research project.
By clicking ‘Agree’ below you indicate that you:
• Have read and understood the above information regarding this research project;
• Have had any questions answered to your satisfaction;
• Understand that if you have any additional questions you can contact the research team;
• Understand that any data entered will be used within the analysis. Therefore, you are free to disagree to starting the survey, or stop the survey by closing the browser at any point without comment or penalty;
• Understand that if you have concerns about the ethical conduct of the research project you can contact the Research Ethics Advisory Team on 07 3138 5123 or email humanethics@qut.edu.au;
• Agree to participate in the research project.