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San Diego State University

Commuter Relationships

If you are under the age of 18, your parent must give permission for you to participate in this study. Please have your parent read the following and make the decision whether or not to allow you to continue.

If you are age 18 or older, please read through the following and make the decision whether or not to continue. There will be an additional consent form on the next page.

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Your child is being asked to participate in a research study. Before you give your consent for him/her to volunteer, it is important that you read the following information and ask as many questions as necessary to be sure you understand what he/she will be asked to do.

Investigators: Dr. Shulamit Ritblatt, Ph.D. Department of Child and Family Development, San Diego State University
Lauren Savage, B.A. Psychology Department, San Diego State University
Anissa York, B.A. Psychology Department, San Diego State University

Purpose of the Study: This study looks at changing family trends, specifically as it relates to the effect of one parent's frequent work-related absence (e.g. due to military deployment, business trips) on the family. It seeks to understand the differences in the family dynamics of commuting families and non-commuting families. Commuting families (families with one member who travels at least 10 times per calendar year or is absent from the family system for at least a one-month period of time per year for the purposes of work) and non-commuting families are being recruited. Approximately 400 subjects in commuter families, including the commuter spouse, his/her respective partners and children, will be recruited to complete our survey. An additional 400 subjects in non-commuter families, including spouses and children, will also be recruited to complete our survey. Subjects will range in age from mid-childhood to late adulthood.

Description of the Study: If you agree to participate in this study you and your family will be asked to complete a questionnaire and participate in an interview. You and your family can choose to participate in both the questionnaire and the interview or just the questionnaire, it is up to you.

•The questionnaire will take approximately 30-45 minutes to complete, and will include questions on the nature of you and your partner's work, your opinions regarding gender role perceptions, stress levels, frequency of interaction with your partner and child, couple communication, couple satisfaction, conflict resolution, division of roles, and your parent-child relationship (if applicable). You will have the option to fill out a paper questionnaire or an identical online questionnaire; you may choose to complete the questionnaire at your leisure in a private location.
•If you agree to participate in this additional interview portion of the study, you will be asked to discuss your experiences as a couple and as a parent (if you have children) with a trained interviewer. The interview phase will be conducted at a location which is most comfortable for you; this may include your home, or a third party location as preferred by you. The interview will take approximately 30 minutes, and will be recorded using an audiotape recorder. The questions will address:
- Your role as a spouse and parent
- Marital satisfaction and communication
- Relationship concerns and difficulties
- Any benefits and advice of being in a committed relationships as a family
- Elaboration of support systems provided to your family.

Your child will also be asked to complete a questionnaire and participate in an interview.

•The questionnaire will take about 20 minutes to complete, and will ask his/her opinions of different roles of mothers and fathers, emotions your child may feel concerning your workload and requirements of your job. Your child may take the questionnaire at a location which is most comfortable for him/her.
•You child will also be asked to participate in an interview which will take about 30 minutes, and will be recorded using an audiotape recorder. Your child will be asked how he/she feels about your job. The interview will take place at a location agreed upon by you, the child, and the interviewer, with efforts to make sure the location is most comfortable for the child.

Risks or Discomforts: You may experience emotional discomfort in considering your emotional reac
Confidentiality: No personally identifiable information will be collected or referenced in the publication. You will create a code that links all of your family members to each other. No records of codes linking data to you will be maintained. All data gathered will be stored in a locked office, to which only members of the research team have access. The interview will be recorded using an audiotape recorder then transcribed. All personal information will be kept only until the completion of the study. Confidentiality will be maintained to the extent allowed by law. As mandated reporters, we are required to report any abuse or harm to the appropriate authorities.

Incentives to Participate: You or your child will not be paid to participate in this study. There are no costs to you or your child for participating in this study.

Voluntary Nature of Participation: Participation in this study is voluntary. Your choice of whether or not to participate will not influence your future relations with San Diego State University, nor will it affect your relationship with your current job. If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw your consent and to stop your child’s participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are allowed.

Questions about the Study: If you have any questions about the research now, please ask. If you have questions later about the research, you may contact Dr. Shulamit Ritblatt (telephone: (619) 594-6501; email: ritblatt@mail.sdsu.edu). You may also contact Graduate Research Assistants Lauren Savage (email: lauren.k.savage@gmail.com) or Anissa York (email: york@rohan.sdsu.edu).

If you have any questions about your rights as a participant in this study, you may contact the Institutional Review Board at San Diego State University (telephone: 619-594-6622; email: irb@mail.sdsu.edu).

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* 1. Consent to Participate: The San Diego State University Institutional Review Board has approved this consent form, as signified by the Board's stamp. The consent form must be reviewed annually and expires on the date indicated on the stamp.

Your signature below indicates that you have read the information in this document and have had a chance to ask any questions you have about the study. Your signature also indicates that you agree to be in the study and have been told that you can change your mind and withdraw your consent to participate at any time. You have been given a copy of this consent form. You have been told that by signing this consent form you are not giving up any of your legal rights.

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