Prediction of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Australians with Spinal Cord Injury

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Project Title: Prediction of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Australians with Spinal Cord Injury

Who is carrying out this study?
You are invited to participate in a study conducted by Jasmine Wong under the supervision of Dr. Kathryn Nicholson Perry (Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Western Sydney), in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Psychology (Clinical) at the University of Western Sydney.

What is the study about?
The purpose of the study is to investigate rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) within an Australian population with spinal cord injury. Specifically, the researchers will be examining whether post-traumatic distress symptoms predict actual PTSD diagnosis in this sample. Participation is open to anyone who has ever experienced a spinal cord injury - it does not matter whether you received your spinal cord injury recently, or many years ago.

What does the study involve?
The study takes the form of an online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/ptsdsurvey, and involves completing four questionnaires about basic demographic details and experience of post-trauma distress. Participation is anonymous, confidential, and internet-based - no identifying details will be asked, and the results will only be accessed by the investigating researchers.

How much time will the study take?
It is expected that participation in the study will take about 30 minutes in total.

Will the study benefit me?
Individuals completing the study will not benefit directly from their participation, however, a general improvement in the level of awareness of the condition may be achieved.

Will the study involve any discomfort for me?
Some mild fatigue and inconvenience in the form of time taken to complete the questionnaires may be experienced, however, the study is designed to minimise these risks, since the survey can be voluntarily completed at a time and place of your choosing.

It is possible that in completing the questionnaires, you may feel distressed by the experience of recalling and detailing the trauma leading to your spinal cord injury. If this is the case, we recommend contacting the following spinal cord injury and PTSD support groups, whose details will be provided again at the end of the survey:

Spinal Cord Injuries Australia (SCIA): 1800 819 775; www.scia.org.au
ParaQuad: 1300 886 601; www.paraquad.org.au
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636; www.beyondblue.org.au
Lifeline: 13 11 14; www.lifeline.org.au
Traumatic Stress Clinic: 02 9845 7979; www.traumaticstressclinic.com
'Find Help' Page on Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health: www.acpmh.unimelb.edu.au/help.html

We also encourage you to contact the investigating researchers, who are trained mental health clinicians and can provide referrals to appropriate services.

Will anyone else know the results? How will the results be disseminated?
All aspects of the study, including results, will be confidential and only the researchers will have access to information on participants. Individual, anonymous responses will be grouped together for analysis, and the results will be disseminated in the form of a thesis as a compulsory requirement for completion of the degree of Master of Psychology (Clinical). The results may also be published in article form, in a reputable peer-reviewed journal. At no point during dissemination of the results will individuals be identified.

At the conclusion of the study, the investigating researchers will be able to provide SCIA and ParaQuad with a brief report of the results.

Can I withdraw from the study?
Participation is entirely voluntary: you are not obliged to be involved. Because information will be collected anonymously and the data once submitted cannot be identified, you cannot be guaranteed the right to withdraw your data 'at any time'.

Can I tell other people about the study?
Yes, you can tell other people about the study by providing them with the website details. They can then visit the website to read the information page and participate in the research project.

What if I require further information?
If you have any questions or would like to know more at any stage, please feel free to contact either Jasmine Wong (16694008@student.uws.edu.au; 02 9772 6781 ) or Dr. Kathryn Nicholson Perry (Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Western Sydney; k.nicholsonperry@uws.edu.au; 02 9772 6781).

What if I have a complaint?
This study has been approved by the Harbour/Hawkesbury Human Research Ethics Committee of Northern Sydney Central Coast Health (NSCCH). The approval number is 1011394M.

This study has also been approved by the University of Western Sydney Human Research Ethics Committee. The Approval number is H7952.

If you have any complaints or reservations about the ethical conduct of this research, you may contact the Ethics Committee through the Office of Research Services on Tel 02-4736 0883 Fax 02-4736 0013 or email humanethics@uws.edu.au. You may also contact the NSCCH Research Office, who is nominated to receive complaints from research participants on Tel 02 9926 8106.

Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated fully, and you will be informed of the outcome.

If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to provide consent on the next page.

Please print out a copy of this Participant Information Page and the next page for your own safekeeping and peace of mind.

Are you interested in other research about spinal cord injury? Click here for information about another study "Great Expectations: Deciding whether to start or add to your family after a spinal cord injury" (enter the password greatexpectations)