Mindfulness and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Online Study
Mindfulness and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder - Online Study
Participant information sheet
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THIS SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED
THANK YOU FOR ANY PAST PARTICIPATION OR CURRENT INTEREST
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You are being invited to take part in a study aiming to explore obsessive and compulsive thoughts and behaviours; as well as mindfulness. If you are 18 years of age and over, currently not receiving treatment for a mental health disorder or drug and alcohol abuse/dependence, then please consider participating in this research.
Before you make your decision, it is important that you read through the information below in order to gain a better understanding of why the research is taking place and what it will involve from you. Please take your time and feel free to discuss the information provided with anyone. If you have any concerns or questions about the study that have not been answered, then please contact me (contact details at the end of this page).
What is the study about?
This study aims to explore whether there is a relationship between obsessive and compulsive thoughts and behaviours; and mindfulness. Mindfulness is currently being used in clinical settings, to help people manage OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) especially when they are not able to be helped by CBT-based approaches. OCD can often be the cause of great distress in people, and this is why brief measures of anxiety and depression symptoms have also been included, as they may play a part in how mindfulness may relate to obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviours.
Who is doing the research?
This study is being conducted by Elisabeth Bakes, a Trainee Clinical Psychologist at the University of Essex, UK, as part of her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology training.
Who can participate?
Anyone of the age of 18 and above who is not currently receiving treatment for a mental health disorder/s and/or alcohol and drug abuse/dependence.
What do I have to do?
If you give consent to participate in the current study you will be redirected to a University of Essex hosted survey-site, specifically connected with this study. It will contain a list of questions commencing with personal data (eg. date of birth, education background, occupational status, country of origin and gender); and then a combination of questionnaires which measure mindfulness, obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviours, and anxious and depressive thoughts and behaviours. All questionnaire items are multiple choice and you are encouraged to answer these in a way that best represents how you see yourself during the periods of time requested. As this is an anonymous online survey you will not be asked to provide any identifiable information such as your name or address. The survey itself should not take longer than 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
Do I have to take part?
It is up to you to decide whether to take part or not in this research. If you decide to take part in the research you have the right to stop participating at any time without giving any reason. Should you wish to do so partway through the survey, you can withdraw from the study by closing your web browser page. Your responses will not be submitted for the study unless you have reached the end of the survey and pressed the "submit your answers" button.
If you change your mind about participating in the study after you press the "submit your answers" button at the end of the survey, I can remove your data from the study, if you contact me by email, and provide your date of birth, so that I can identify your responses and remove them from the data-set. Please note that once the on-line survey has closed, and the data-set has been analysed, it will be too late to remove individual responses from the study. The on-line survey will close once an optimum number of responses have been collected, and this is currently estimated to occur in July 2014.
Will my participation be anonymous and confidential?
Individually identifiable data such as your name, postal address, facebook or email address will not be requested or collected as part of this survey as this is an anonymous online study. Individual responses to the survey will be combined, and results will be analysed according to patterns and relationships observed on the entire data-set. Access to the anonymised data-set will be restricted to the researcher, her research supervisors (if required), and specific University of Essex Moodle IT support members (if necessary for any technical support). The data-set will be kept securely in the researcher's password protected account.
What will happen to the results of the study?
The study results will be analysed as a whole data-set, and disseminated by the researcher as part of a doctoral thesis.
What are the possible advantages of taking part?
Your participation will contribute to our knowledge about the relationship between mindfulness and obsessive/compulsive thoughts and behaviours. This will add to the understanding about how these factors interact, inform the use of Mindful approaches with OCD symptoms in clinical settings, and assist with future research into this area.
Are there any risks in taking part?
This study has been given ethical approval by the University of Essex Ethics Committee. This means that the study is considered safe to take part in as all possible risk associated with participating have been accounted for and addressed. For anybody who may experience distress whilst participating in the study, perhaps as a result of the study's topics relating to any real-life concerns, there is information on relevant services and resources provided at the end of the survey. Additionally, you can contact the researcher should you wish to share your experience of participating in the study. Please note that this study is conducted from the UK, and therefore some of the suggested services/resources may not be as relevant for non-UK residents.
How long will it take to complete the survey?
The actual survey should take up to 15 to 20 minutes to complete.
What should I do if I have concerns or questions about the study?
Should you have any concerns or questions about the study you can address these by contacting the researcher.
Thank you very much for taking time to read through the information.
Please press the "Answer the questions" link at the bottom of the page, if you wish to continue
Elisabeth Bakes
Trainee Clinical Psychologist
University of Essex