Welcome! You are invited to take part in a research study regarding students’ experiences of spiritual abuse in evangelical Christian higher education. You are being invited because you self-identified as having experienced spiritual abuse at a Christian college or university. This form is part of a process called “informed consent” to allow you to understand this study before deciding whether to take part.

I, Nicole Kinney, am conducting this study as a doctoral student at Columbia International University. This particular study will be used as part of my dissertation research. Your role in this study is to be interviewed by me concerning your experience of spiritual abuse at a Christian college or university.

Background Information:

Spiritual abuse has been studied in several environments including churches, families, marriages, and mission agencies. Spiritual abuse is defined by Karen Roudkovski as "a misuse of power in a spiritual context in which a person or group uses various coercive and manipulative methods of controlling the victim, resulting in the abused individual experiencing spiritual, emotional/psychological, physical, or relational harm." The purpose of this research study is to begin the academic discussion on spiritual abuse in a novel context, namely, Christian higher education. Your contribution will provide insight into the unique aspects of spiritual abuse in evangelical Christian higher education.

Procedures:

If you agree to be in this study, you will be asked to:

  • Answer questions about your experience of spiritual abuse at a Christian college or university in a recorded 60-minute interview with me.
  • Following my compilation and transcription of the interview, you will be asked to provide feedback on my transcription to determine if it accurately reflects your perspectives and intent of your interview responses. This will entail about 15-20 minutes of your time and may be handled through e-mail.

Voluntary Nature of the Study:

Your participation in this study is voluntary. This means that everyone will respect your decision of whether or not you want to be in the study. I will be the only person who will know if you decide to participate in this study or not. If you decide to not participate in the study, I will respect your decision and will not change in my professional relationship with you. If you decide to join the study now, you can still change your mind during the study. If you feel stressed during the study you may stop at any time. You may skip any questions that you feel are too personal.

Payment:

There is no payment or compensation for participating in this study.

Risks and Benefits of Being in the Study:

Potential risks associated with this study include breach of confidentiality and emotional distress. The recordings and transcripts will be saved on a password-protected computer and not uploaded to any cloud software or application. Some participants may experience emotional distress from recounting their abusive experiences. To support you if you become distressed, I will offer breaks for emotion regulation and can offer a list of external mental health support resources.

The benefits to you will be to share your experience of spiritual abuse to contribute to the growing research on spiritual abuse in Christian higher education. Some survivors of abuse feel empowered by sharing their stories.

Confidentiality:

Any information you provide will be kept confidential. I will not use your information for any purposes outside of this research project. Also, I will not include your name or anything else that could identify you in any reports of the study.
Use of Research Data:

The information from this research will be used only for scientific and educational purposes. It may be presented at scientific meetings and/or published in professional journals or books, or used for any other purposes, which Columbia International University considers proper in the interest of education, knowledge, or research. As noted earlier, data will be analyzed and presented in the aggregate and all individual responses are anonymous.

Contacts and Questions:

You may ask any questions you have now. Or if you have questions later, you may contact me via phone at (443) 974-7573 or via e-mail at Nicole.kinney@ciu.edu. If you want to talk privately about your rights as a participant, you can call Dr. Roxi Snodgrass. She is the Columbia International University representative who can discuss this with you. Her phone number is 1-803-807-5051. Columbia International University’s approval number for this study is #722.

You will receive a copy of this form to keep.

Statement of Consent:

I have read the above information and I feel I understand the study well enough to make a decision about my involvement. By signing below, I am agreeing to the terms described above.

Question Title

* 1. Participant's Electronic Signature*

Question Title

* 2. Date of Consent

Date
* Electronic signatures are regulated by the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Legally, an "electronic signature" can be the person’s typed name, their email address, or any other identifying marker. An electronic signature is just as valid as a written signature as long as both parties have agreed to conduct the transaction electronically.

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