OCD, Suicide, AI

PROJECT TITLE: Artificial Intelligence and Reassurance Seeking in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

INVESTIGATOR:

Logan Smith, PhD, Clinical Psychologist

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this study is to examine how people use artificial intelligence (AI) platforms, such as ChatGPT and similar tools, in relation to uncertainty, anxiety, and mental health concerns. The study focuses particularly on whether individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) use AI platforms for reassurance seeking, and whether this pattern is associated with symptom severity and daily functioning.

A secondary aim is to explore broader patterns of AI use, including emotional reliance on AI and the extent to which AI interactions influence confidence in one’s thoughts or beliefs. The study also includes exploratory questions related to general mental health and suicidal ideation for use in future research.

PROCEDURES:

In this research study you will be asked to answer questions related to aspects of attitudes, moods, thoughts, behaviors, AI use, and life history. You must be at least 18 years old to participate in this research study. This study is limited to individuals currently residing in the United States. The study should take approximately 25-35 minutes to complete.

RISKS OF PARTICIPATION:

Participation in this research study includes answering questions that are personal and sensitive in nature, which involves minimal risk. Some questions relate to mental health, including anxiety, OCD symptoms, and suicidal thoughts. You may experience mild emotional discomfort when answering these questions. Some individuals may find questions about suicidal thoughts to be particularly sensitive. You may skip any question or stop participation at any time without penalty. If you experience distress, you will be provided with information about how to access support resources. If you experience stress with completing the research study you are encouraged to contact one of the counselling resources that will be provided to you at the end of the research study session. The recruiter will not see your answers and your answers will not be linked with your name. Because this survey is de-identified, the researcher will not be able to identify or contact you based on your responses, even if you report distress. For this reason, you will be provided with information about how to access support resources during and after the survey. If your responses indicate that you may be experiencing significant distress, the survey will provide you with information about how to access support resources immediately. The researcher will not provide personal advice, counseling, or clinical services as part of this study. Open-ended responses are not monitored in real time, and the researcher will not be able to respond to individual concerns expressed in these responses.

If you are currently experiencing severe distress or feel you may be in crisis, you are encouraged to seek immediate support rather than participate in this study.

BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION:

There are no direct benefits to participating in this study. However, this study may benefit our understanding of how people use AI platforms, which could improve our efforts to support healthy use of AI, especially in the context of mental health conditions.

CONFIDENTIALITY:

The survey responses will be stored in coded form and analyzed in de-identified form. The data we collect will not be linked with your name. Your responses will be recorded without your name or other direct identifiers. If you choose to provide contact information for future follow-up, it will be stored separately from your survey responses and linked only through a study ID. Your data will be identified with a unique ID code assigned by the researcher. This information will only be accessible to key research personnel. Any written results will discuss group findings and will not include information that will identify you. Your responses may be used in future analyses of this dataset related to the study of AI use and mental health, but no identifying information will be included. Research records will be stored securely for at least 5 years after publication of the results and only researchers and individuals responsible for research oversight will have access to the records. Note that Facebook and/or Reddit have specific privacy policies of their own. If you have concerns you should consult these services directly. Facebook’s privacy statement is provided at: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php, and Reddit’s privacy statement is provided at: https://www.reddit.com/en-us/policies/privacy-policy.

This study uses a third-party survey platform (Survey Monkey) to collect responses. Your data will be transmitted and stored on secure servers operated by this platform. While the platform uses standard security protections, no online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

FUTURE CONTACT (Optional):

You may choose to provide contact information if you are willing to be contacted about possible future research studies. This is completely optional.

If you choose “yes,” you may be contacted about future studies
If you choose “no,” you will not be contacted
Your decision will not affect your participation in this study
If you are contacted in the future, you will be provided with a new consent form and can decide whether or not to participate at that time.

COMPENSATION:

There will be no direct compensation for your participation in this study. However, answers you provide may benefit our understanding of how people use AI platforms, which could improve our efforts to support healthy use of AI, especially in the context of mental health conditions.

CONTACTS:

You may contact Dr. Logan Smith for information regarding this research study at Smith@NorthStarPsyc.com. If you have questions about your rights as a research volunteer, you may contact the IRB Office at info@beyondbound.org.

PARTICIPANT RIGHTS:

I understand that my participation is voluntary, that there is no penalty for refusal to participate, and that I am free to withdraw my consent and participation in this project at any time, without penalty.

IRB APPROVAL:

This research study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB BB2604LS-197) for the protection of human subjects at BeyondBound. The IRB approval will expire on April 14, 2027.

CONSENT DOCUMENTATION:

If you choose to participate: Please, click below to indicate that you agree to participate if you choose to participate. By clicking that you agree to participate, you are indicating that you freely and voluntarily agree to participate in this study and complete the following surveys, and you also acknowledge that you are at least 18 years of age. You acknowledge that by advancing to the next page of the survey you give permission for your participation in the study. You have been fully informed about the procedures listed here. You are aware of what you will be asked to do and the benefits of your participation.