INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this page is to give you information that may affect your decision whether to say YES or NO to participation in this research.
RESEARCHER: Responsible Principal Investigator: James F. Paulson, Ph.D., Old Dominion University, College of Sciences, Department of Psychology.
DESCRIPTION OF RESEARCH STUDY: The purpose of this study is to learn more about the thoughts, feelings, and other experiences that mothers and fathers of infants have during their first year.
At present, family researchers don’t have an in-depth understanding of the distressing thoughts that parents may have about their infants. This study aims to increase our knowledge of parents’ distress as they care for infants.
As you consider participating in this study and/or if you do participate, please keep in mind that all of the questions you will be asked are about thoughts and feelings you have had and not actions that you have taken or would possibly take. If you decide to participate, then you will join a study aimed at investigating parental thoughts and feelings about their infant child. By clicking NEXT, you agree to participate in the study and have agreed to the conditions specified in the consent form.
The questionnaire should take 20-30 minutes to complete.
Approximately 300 mothers and fathers will be participating in this study.
EXCLUSIONARY CRITERIA: You should be at least 18 years or older to participate in the current study. If you are younger than 18 years old, please EXIT the survey now. You should have at least one child who is 12 months of age or younger. If you don’t have a child 12 months or younger, please EXIT the survey now.
RISKS AND BENEFITS: Risks: Some of the questions in this study ask about difficult or distressing thoughts and feelings that parents have from time to time. Answering these questions may be upsetting or stressful. If you decide to participate in this study, you may experience some degree of emotional distress due to content of the survey. As with any research, there may be risks that have not yet been identified.
Benefits: There are no direct benefits to participants of the current study.
NEW INFORMATION: If the researchers find new information during this study that would might be relevant to your experiences with this study, we will make this information available by request.
CONFIDENTIALITY: The current study is anonymous, you will not be asked to provide your name, address, phone numbers, or email address. We will not collect IP or other identifiers. The results of this study may be used in reports, presentations, and publications; but the researchers will not be able to identify you.
WITHDRAWAL PRIVILEGE: If you decide that you want to volunteer your responses for this study, you will be asked to read this consent form and then complete the questionnaire. By clicking NEXT you agree to participate in the study and have agreed to the conditions in the consent form. The questionnaire should take 20-30 minutes to complete. If at any point you need to discuss this project, you can contact the responsible principal investigator, Dr. James F. Paulson.
VOLUNTARY CONSENT: By clicking NEXT you are saying several things. You are saying that you have carefully read a description of the study and fully understand the purpose of this research, the length of time you will participate, the procedures to be followed, and any foreseeable risks, discomforts, or benefits of the research. You understand that the study is anonymous. Furthermore you acknowledge that your participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time without penalty. Once you complete the survey, it will not be possible to withdraw your data from this study due to the anonymous data collection method. If you have any questions/comments/concerns, you may contact the responsible principal investigator:
RPI: Dr. James F. Paulson, jpaulson@odu.edu
If at any time you feel pressured to participate, or if you have any questions about your rights or this form, then you should call Dr. George Maihafer, the current IRB chair, at 757-683-4520, or the Old Dominion University Office of Research, at 757-683-3460.