Study Participants Required For Short Online Questionnaire Study!

[pgstudent]

Hi everyone,

My name is Natalie and I am a graduate student at the University of Nottingham in the UK. I am currently undertaking a study into the relationship between traumatic experiences, trauma symptoms and levels of exercise. PTSD is a condition that has affected those close to me and so is something I am particularly interested in. I hope that the results from the study will justify and encourage further studies that look at exercise and other socially based programmes as an intervention for PTSD sufferers.

As part of the study, I am looking for participants to complete some online questionnaires. There are 51 questions and I estimate that it’ll take you about 20-30 minutes to complete.

Participation is completely voluntary. The questionnaires do not ask for any identifiable information from you, such as names or email addresses. Therefore, you will remain completely anonymous. The only requirements are that you have experienced something in your lifetime which you classed as traumatic, and that you are over the age of 18.

I would really really appreciate your input! If you are interested, I have attached the participant information sheet below, which you can have a read through.

The link to the questionnaires can be found HERE:

Click here!

Thank you,

Natalie :)

Participant Information Sheet:

What is the association between trauma symptoms and exercise levels in individuals with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder compared to a healthy sample?
(Version 1 13.03.2013)

We would like to invite you to take part in our research study. Before you decide, it is important for you to understand the purpose of the research and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully. Please ask us, if there is anything that is not clear, or if you would like more information.

What is the purpose of the study?
We are interested in examining the relationship between experiences of trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and levels of exercise. You are being invited to take part in the study because you may have experienced personal trauma in the past. If you agree to being involved in the study, you will be asked to fill out various questionnaires on topics including past traumatic experiences, levels of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and levels of exercise. You are not obliged to take part in the study and participation is entirely voluntary.

Why have I been invited?
You have been recruited into the study as you meet the entry criteria: aged over 18 years old, and you are accessing help for dealing with past experiences of trauma in the form of an online support forum or a face-to-face support group. We aim to recruit approximately 100 participants for the study.

How long is the study?
The study is comprised of questionnaires, which you can complete at your own pace. It is estimated that they will take approximately 20-40 minutes to complete.

Do I have to take part?
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. If you agree to take part, we will ask you to complete a consent form. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason.

What will I be asked to do if I take part?
If you agree to take part, you will be asked to complete a consent form. After this, you will be directed to the questionnaires. Firstly, you will fill out a demographics questionnaire, which asks you questions such as your age and gender. Then you will be asked to fill out questionnaires into experiences of trauma, levels of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder symptoms, levels of exercise and your physical health.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
As the questionnaires are related to personal experiences of trauma, this may cause you to experience some emotional distress. You are free to stop filling in the questionnaires at any point. If you experience levels of distress whilst filling in the questionnaires, we recommend contacting your GP, or other professional help (see below).

How will I benefit from participating in this study?
You will not receive any compensation for your time. However, by participating in the study you will be contributing to our understanding of the relationship between symptoms associated with trauma and levels of physical exercise. This in turn may affect future interventions for those with post-traumatic stress disorder.

If I need to speak to someone about the research, whom should I contact?
If you have any questions, queries or concerns regarding the study, please contact the researchers using the contact details below.

Confidentiality
All the information that you provide will be treated in confidence to comply with UK Data Protection Laws. Your identification will only be in the form of a number. In the event that the results of the study are published, your identity will remain confidential. Members of the research team may look at the information that you have provided to check that the study is being carried out correctly. These members will have a duty of confidentiality to you as a research participant and we will do our best to meet this duty. Only members of the research team will have access to your personal and study data.

What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study?
Your participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason.

How will we use the results of this research?
The results of the study will contribute towards a postgraduate Masters degree. There is a possibility that results may be published in journals.

Am I able to know the results of the study?
Yes, if you would like a summary of the results, please contact the researcher (details below).

Who has reviewed the study?
This study has been reviewed and given a favourable opinion by the Institute of Work Health & Organisations Research Ethics Committee.

Contact details:
Natalie Jones (Please private message)
Appropriate helplines:
Assistance Support and Self Help in Surviving Trauma (ASSIST): 01788 560 800
Anxiety UK: 08444 775 774

 

[Meadowsweet]

Hi Natalie, I started doing the survey, but there are a few questions that ask " how much time in total did you usually spend doing ______ in the last 7 days".

I'm not sure whether you are asking for a total over the 7 days [ie 3 x 10 minutes = 30 minutes per 7 days] or if you're asking how much time each activity took [ie, 3 x 10 minutes = 10 minutes per session]. I will give the survey another go if you could clarify this for me please.

 

[Jen93]

I completed it. It really makes you realize how far you've gotten at managing your symptoms when you complete these things... You might also want to ask what their general activity level in a day is (sedentary, moderate, active) If you're working at a desk all day, the exercise thing might be pretty low. I think you'd get better results if you looked at a typical day, not just one week.

 

[pgstudent]

Hi Meadowsweet. Thanks for the question!

Those questions ask how much time you spent exercising on one of the 7 days. So basically, pick one of the days that you feel represents how much exercise you do normally, work out how many minutes you spent exercising in total that day (include all sessions you did that day), and then put that as the answer. Does that clarify things a little more?

Sorry for the confusion! But thank you for the input, I really appreciate it.

Natalie

 

[pgstudent]

Hi Jen93, thanks for completing the questionnaire and thanks for the input. I was advised by my supervisor to use questionnaires that had already been published, which is why I picked the ones I did (slightly regretting that decision now!). I do agree with you though! Thank you :)

 

[Meadowsweet]

Once I got what you meant by that question, I completed it and it seems like a good survey.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

Your study is flawed and the results will have virtually no merit.

You say a requirement is for a participant to have a "self-identified traumatic experience". Well, 99% of the population has! But, the study is geared toward finding results in PTSD sufferers per the following description. You can't say the former and extrapolate results to the latter.

I didn't complete the survey as I don't do surveys that are flawed from the get-go.

 

[Lady of Longbourn]

I agree with SOL, that seems like a big flaw. Pgstudent, maybe there is an explanation for clarification?

 

[pgstudent]

Hi, thanks for the feedback. I asked for a self-identified traumatic experience. Those who then did not meet the criteria for PTSD (through the two PTSD questionnaires used) will be used as a control group. I am primary interested in exercise levels in this control group and not in the their traumatic experience or their health levels. This is why the rest of the questionnaires are more related to PTSD sufferers. Does this make sense?

 

[Err0r]

I really tried my best at answering all of your questions, but I am having a lot of difficulty with giving the details of every abuse, every age and what happened and with whom and where and what not.

It's just too much for me. I'm sorry I couldn't help you.

I was hoping I could just answer "yes" or "no", but alas... :/

 

[pgstudent]

No worries Err0r. Thanks for helping! If you wanted you could miss out the details and just put yes or no. But I completely understand otherwise :)

 

[Err0r]

It actually didn't let me :/