Consent for Research Study
Principal Investigator: Neil Schmitzer-Torbert
Title of Study: Healthy Minds App - Summer 2026
Institution: Wabash College
The following information is provided to inform you about the research project and your participation in it. Please read this form carefully.
Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to explore the effectiveness of a free mindfulness app. Details concerning the specific purposes and predictions of this research will be described at the conclusion of the experiment. You may withdraw from the experiment at any time.
Description of procedures and approximate duration: Participation in this experiment will involve completing several surveys over the next three months. You will also be asked to download a free mindfulness app, and to spend some time each day completing mindfulness lessons and meditations.
Participation in this study should take approximately 30 minutes to complete this survey, and up to an additional two hours to complete surveys over the next three months (10 to 30 minutes each). Use of the mindfulness app will take as much time as you wish to spend working through the lessons and mindfulness practices (that range from about 5 minutes up to 30 minutes each).
Description of the discomforts, inconveniences, and/or risks that can be reasonably expected as a result of participation in this study: We believe there is minimal risk associated with participation in this study. This study does not involve deception.
During this study, some of the questions we ask are personal and may cause emotional discomfort. Specifically, you will be asked questions about mental health, depression, and thoughts of self-harm. You are free to skip any question that makes you uncomfortable, or you may stop the survey at any time.
If you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or are in crisis, please call 911 or call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit the Lifeline Chat to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Confidentiality of participant identification: You will be asked to provide your name and contact information in this study. That information will be kept confidential, and will be removed from all survey responses before any data analysis are conducted.
Anticipated benefits resulting from this study: By completing this survey, and our final survey at the end of this study (in three months), you will be invited to participate in an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction class at no cost (a $300 value). Space will be limited, but we will attempt to provide enough spaces to accomodate at least 30 people this fall.
We also hope that this study will help us learn more about how mindfulness may be of benefit for managing stress in our lives, and that you may learn more about ways that mindfulness could be a benefit in your own life.
Contact information: If you have questions about this study, you may contact Neil Schmitzer-Torbert (torbertn@wabash.edu). If you have general questions about giving consent or about your rights as a participant, you may contact the chair of the Wabash College Institutional Review Board whose contact information is available at https://www.wabash.edu/irb
Access to the results of this study: Aggregated results of this study may be presented at the Wabash Research Celebration on January 29th, 2027 at Wabash College. The results may be submitted for publication in an academic journal. Contact the Principal Investigator if you are interested in the final results.
Your rights as a volunteer: Your participation in this study is voluntary. You may choose not to participate. You also are free to withdraw from this study at any time.