1. Informed Consent

You are invited to take part in a research study about Stress and Health-Related Quality of Life among adults with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). I am inviting English-speaking adults between the ages of 18 to 65 years who suffer from IBS to be in this study. This form is part of a process called "informed consent" to allow  you to  understand this study before you decide if you would agree to take part.

This study is being conducted by the researcher Aida M. Benitez-Rexach, who is a Doctoral student at Walden University. 

Background Information:
The purpose of this study is to research the effects of stress, pain, thinking, interpersonal relationships and quality of life. The researcher specifically wants to learn the relationships between levels of stress when performing tasks at home or at work, pain, anxiety, interpersonal relationships and the overall quality of life with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Procedures:
This study involves the following steps:
• Read and review the consent form and accept if you consent to continue to the study.
• Complete a series of questionnaires online on your symptoms, emotions, perceptions on your condition, work performance, social tasks and conditions at work, and thinking. Your participation is expected to take approximately a maximum of 45 minutes. Should you take a longer time because of unforeseeable circumstances, such as stress or fatigue, please feel free to take a break anytime while you are doing the survey and finishing the survey. If you shut the page you cannot return to the same survey later˗you will need to start over. If you want to withdraw at any time before the survey is finished, you can simply close the SurveyMonkey page.
• Once you complete your participation, the researcher will immediately provide you a debriefing form.

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