Invitation: You are invited to participate in a research study entitled “Evaluating a Mental Health Care Provider.” This study has been approved by the Royal Military College Research Ethics Board on December 4, 2023. Please read this form carefully as the information provided here is intended to help you understand what we are asking of you in order for you to make a decision about whether or not to participate in this study.
Study Purpose and Procedure: The purpose of this study is to examine how individuals make decisions about their mental health care. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to read a short profile of a mental health care provider, fill out some questions assessing your attitudes about the profile, and answer some basic questions about yourself.
Duration and location: The questionnaire will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes and can be found online on SurveyMonkey.
Potential Benefits: While there will be no direct benefit to you as a participant, you will have the opportunity to better understand the research process and to contribute knowledge about our mental health system. If you are eligible, you may receive a bonus mark in certain classes in exchange for your participation. Consult your class syllabus and instructor for more information.
Potential Risks: There are no known risks associated with participating in this study. However, if you do experience any discomfort, please remember that you have the right to skip any questions you wish without penalty. If you require further support, please consider contacting your local crisis intervention service. A list of helplines in your area can be found at: https://findahelpline.com/
Anonymity and Confidentiality: Your participation is anonymous and confidential. While the data from this research project may be published and presented at conferences, it will be reported in aggregate form. Aggregated (grouped) data may be shared with other researchers as required by the ethics and publication guidelines of psychology. If this is the case, no identifying information will be included. Anonymous data may be reanalyzed in future projects. If this is the case, your data will remain anonymous, and the project will be approved by a research ethics board. This ensures that the identification of individuals will not be possible. To ensure the anonymity of your responses, please do not include any identifying information in your responses, such as your name or email in the questionnaire fields. It is suggested that you review Survey Monkey’s statements about security of information, prior to completing this survey. Please refer to https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/data-privacy/ for more information
Right to Withdraw: You may choose to withdraw from the study at any time or omit any questions you do not want to answer. Your participation is complexly voluntary and not connected to your academic standing.
Study Findings: If you wish to receive a summary of the research results, please submit your request to the research team at the contact information above. Please note that all summary results will be unidentifiable and may take up to a year to prepare.
Questions: Concerns over any aspect of this project may be referred to Dr. Alexandra Zidenberg, Department of Military Psychology and Leadership, 613.541.6000 ext. 6017; email: alexandra.zidenberg@rmc-cmr.ca. Further, if you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the Royal Military College Research Ethics Board at reb-cer@rmc-cmr.ca.