The Effect of Personality on Relationship Behaviours

What is the Purpose of the Study?
How we behave day to day is likely important for intimate relationship success. We are interested in what personality can tell us about how people behave in a relationship. This could be an important factor to understand how people choose to spend their time and resources in relationships, how people might work to keep their partner and beliefs held about relationships. There are no right or wrong answers to any of the questions we will ask, everyone varies in their beliefs and experiences about relationships. It is this variability we are interested in hearing about.

Why have I been invited?
To take part in this study you need to:

• be aged 18 or above
• have access to a smartphone or computer with stable access to the internet.

Do I have to take part?
No, it is up to you whether you would like to take part in the study. This information sheet will help you to decide whether you would like to take part. If you do decide to take part, remember that you can stop being involved in the study as you are completing the questions by closing your browser. You are completely free to decide whether to take part, or to take part and then leave the study before completion. All data collected will remain secure and anonymous.

What will happen if I take part?
You will be asked to anonymously complete a number of online questionnaires regarding relationship behaviours. After you have read this information, you will be asked to provide consent. This will happen by you ticking a box to say that you agree to take part. This means we will not be asking you for your name or an email address at any point. You will be asked a series of questions about yourself and your circumstances. You will then be asked to complete questions assessing personality. Please answer these honestly, go with your gut response, often the first answer that comes to mind is the best response. Try not to think about your responses too much. We will also ask some questions about your beliefs and attitudes towards relationships. This will include asking about your past sexual experiences as well as how closely tied you view sex and love. We will also ask you to consider how you might want to spend your time and commitment during a relationship. It is estimated that this study will take approximately 15-20 minutes.

What are the possible disadvantages of taking part?
We recognise that the time taken to complete the study might seem like an inconvenience. However, people often find completing such studies interesting and your responses will help to benefit the research field concerned with understanding motivations for remaining in relationships. Some of the questions included in this study are of a personal and/or sensitive nature, regarding past relationships and sexual behaviour. We have made every effort to reduce the risk of distress for you. If you think that being asked about your relationships or personality distressing, please consider whether or not you would like to take part. If you have questions about the study, please get in touch with the researchers.

However, should you find this study distressing, external weblinks are provided here and at the end of the study for further support.

Mind: https://www.mind.org.uk

NHS: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/where-to-get-urgent-help-for-mental-health/

Spark: https://www.thespark.org.uk/counselling/the-counselling-helpline/

What are the possible benefits of taking part?
Some people find taking part in research interesting and we appreciate the time you give to take part. Some of the questions we have included may help you to think about your own experiences and give you a better understanding of yourself. You will also be helping us to understand factors involved in relationship behaviours. It is important to understand unhealthy behaviours in relationships to inform interventions and help support people change their behaviours. This and other studies will help to inform the development of these interventions.

Will my taking part in this study be kept confidential and anonymous?
Yes, you will not be asked for your name or your email address when you complete the study. We will not ask you for any information which will make you identifiable. Once the data collection has been completed, we will give you a participant number when we check the data. This means no one individual person will be recognisable as an individual. No IP addresses will be collected or other location details. The personal characteristics we are asking for such as your age, physical and mental health status, ethnicity, will not allow for anyone to identify you as an individual. This means that you will not be able to withdraw your data once you have completed the study since we will not be able to identify any one individual.

How will my data be stored, and how long will it be stored for?
All data will be stored on Northumbria University One Drive, which is password protected and will only be accessed through password protected computers. All data will be stored in accordance with Northumbria University guidelines and the Data Protection Act (2018). Since the data is anonymous we will keep the data indefinitely. The data may be stored in line with the Open Science Principles once the work is written up for publication.

Who are the recipients or categories of recipients of personal data, if any?
We are collecting information about you and your personal characteristics but these will not be linked to your name. This means that no one will be able to identify that you have taken part in the study.

What will happen to the results of the study? Could personal data collected be used in future research?
Some results might be presented at a conference or published in a journal, but no one person will be able to be recognised in the way the data is presented. All information and data gathered during this research will be stored in line with the Data Protection Act and in line with Open Data policies, deidentified data may be held indefinitely, but at no point will your personal information or data be revealed. We will only use data in the manner outlined in this information sheet.

Who is organising and funding the study?
The study is organised by Northumbria University and the present research project has received no funding.

Who has reviewed this study?
This study and its protocol have received full ethical approval from Northumbria University College of Reviewers (reference number 6199). If you require confirmation of this, or if you have any concerns or worries concerning this research, or if you wish to register a complaint, please contact the relevant Ethics Chair, nick.neave@northumbria.ac.uk.

What are my rights as a participant in this study?
You will not be able to request any individual level feedback on your responses since we are not asking you for an details which would identify you. However, once the study has been completed we will write a summary of the results which you can request. If you would like a copy of this please get in touch with the researchers on the email addresses provided and let us know that you are interested.