Letter of Information & Consent for Potential Participants

 
 6% of survey complete.
Dear Potential Participant,

You are invited to participate in the Contraception Survey, a research survey being conducted to investigate experiences, knowledge, and attitudes related to contraceptives. We are recruiting anyone who has the biological capability of becoming pregnant now or in the future. Participants must be over the age of 18, or 16 if they are Lakehead University students. We are particularly interested in your thoughts, experiences, and preferences related to contraceptives that contain hormones versus those that are hormone-free. Before you decide whether or not you would like to take part, please read this letter carefully to understand what is involved. After you have read the letter, please feel free to email us to ask any questions you may have.

PURPOSE
This study is being conducted by Regan Yaraskavitch and Dr. Kirsten Oinonen of the Health, Hormones, and Behaviour Lab, Department of Psychology, Lakehead University. Bianca Boboc of the Health, Hormones, and Behaviour Lab is also a collaborator on this project. The purpose of the survey is to better understand experiences with current contraception options, factors that affect contraceptive choices/attitudes, and investigate perceived need for development of new contraceptive methods.

WHAT INFORMATION WILL BE COLLECTED?
Information regarding your general demographics, health, and lifestyle will be asked about. Additional questions will be asked to assess your experiences with contraceptives, considerations when selecting a contraceptive, knowledge about intrauterine devices (IUDs), and attitudes toward hormonal versus non-hormonal contraceptives. All of this information is integral to investigating the purpose of this study.

WHAT IS REQUESTED OF ME AS A PARTICIPANT?
Within this survey you will be requested to answer many questions. This survey should take approximately 30-60 minutes to complete.

WHAT ARE MY RIGHTS AS A PARTICIPANT?
Your participation is entirely voluntary. You may withdraw from the survey or refuse to participate in any part of the survey at any time without explanation or penalty. You may decline to answer any question. You also have the right to request a summary of research results once the study has been completed. If your healthcare provider has mentioned or suggested this study to you, please note that your decision about whether or not to participate is not something your health care provider will know about (unless you tell them), and your decision will not impact your care or access to care.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS AND BENEFITS?
There are no known or anticipated risks from participating in this survey. Some participants may feel uncomfortable answering certain personal questions.
Potential benefits include developing a better understanding about psychological research, learning more about contraceptives, and potentially gaining self-insight. You will also have your name entered into a draw for a chance to win a $50 pre-paid Visa gift card. Finally, Lakehead University students enrolled in a participating psychology course will receive 1 bonus point towards their course grade.
HOW WILL MY CONFIDENTIALITY BE MAINTAINED?
All information collected in this study will be anonymous and confidential. Researchers will not be able to identify your responses. Additionally, you will not be asked any identifying information, and you may choose to skip answering any questions. Survey instruments will not be labeled in any way that will make identifying you possible. Additionally, individual participants will not be able to be identified in published results (data will be published in aggregate form). Please note that the online survey tool used in the study, (Survey Monkey), is hosted by a server located in the USA. The US Patriot Act permits U.S. law enforcement officials, for the purpose of anti-terrorism investigation, to seek a court order that allows access to the personal records of any person without the person’s knowledge. In view of this we cannot absolutely guarantee the full confidentiality and anonymity of your data. With your consent to participate in this study, you acknowledge this.

WHAT WILL MY DATA BE USED FOR:
Your data will be used to inform the main research purpose of this study and will be used in the Masters thesis of Regan Yaraskavitch. It may also be used to examine additional related exploratory research questions or honours theses in the laboratory. There is no intention to commercialize the research findings. Your data will also be kept in the Health, Hormones, and Behaviour Lab for a minimum of 7 years, and may be used to inform future projects within the lab. There is also the intention to publish findings from this study in peer-reviewed journals.

WHERE WILL MY DATA BE STORED?
Please remember that data collected during this study is anonymous. All data will be stored within Lakehead University for a minimum of 7 years following completion of the project. Upon completion of this study, anonymous data may also be stored in an online public database to be consistent with Canadian research policies that require making data available for other researchers. Potential identifying information will not appear in any database, report, publication, or presentation resulting from the study.

HOW CAN I RECEIVE A SUMMARY OF THE RESEARCH RESULTS?
If you are interested in learning the outcomes of the study, please feel free to email any of the researchers involved in the study at any time. Eventually, the conclusions of this survey will be shared with the research community through seminars, conferences, presentations, and journal articles. Results are estimated to be available by the end of September 2027. Subsequent published papers will also be listed on the primary investigator’s Lakehead University website, allowing participants to read peer-reviewed descriptions of the findings.

WHAT IF I WANT TO WITHDRAW FROM THE STUDY?
You may withdraw from the study at any time without loss of remuneration or any effect on your academic status; you may simply close your browser or stop responding. Given that data is anonymous and cannot be identified as yours, it is not possible to remove responses that were already submitted.

RESEARCHER CONTACT INFORMATION:
Graduate Student Researcher:
Regan Yaraskavitch, B.A. (Hons)
M.A. Student
Health, Hormones and Behaviour Lab
Lakehead University
955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1
email: ryarask1@lakeheadu.ca

Faculty Researcher:
Dr. Kirsten Oinonen Ph.D., C. Psych.
Professor
Health, Hormones and Behavour Lab
Lakehead University
955 Oliver Road
Thunder Bay, Ontario P7B 5E1
email: koinonen@lakeheadu.ca
RESEARCH ETHICS BOARD REVIEW AND APPROVAL:
This research study has been reviewed and approved by the Lakehead University Research Ethics Board. If you have any questions related to the ethics of the research and would like to speak to someone outside of the research team, please contact Sue Wright at the Research Ethics Board at 807-343-8283 or research@lakeheadu.ca.
MY CONSENT:
I agree to the following:
- I have read and understand the information contained in the Information Letter
- I agree to participate
- I understand the potential risks and benefits to the study
- That I am a volunteer and can withdraw from the study, and may choose not to answer any question
- That the data will be securely stored at Lakehead University for a minimum period of 7 years following completion of the research project
- I understand that the research findings will be made available to me upon request
- I will remain anonymous
- All of my questions have been answered
By consenting to participate, I have not waived any rights to legal recourse in the event of research-related harm.

Question Title

* 1. I have read and agree to the above information and consent to proceed to the online survey.

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