Many thanks for signing up to Managing Emotion. We would like to invite you to participate in our evaluation of this program, which aims to help support the social and emotional well-being of university students.
What does evaluation involve and how can you take part?
The evaluation will involve completing two surveys - One at baseline (i.e. at the start of Module 1) and another towards the end of the program (at the start of Module 5). These surveys will include questions asking about your demographic background, experiences with mental health concerns, and how you cope with tough emotions. Each survey should take about 10 – 15 minutes to complete.
We are also seeking to link your survey responses with your university administrative records (i.e. demographic data), and ask your permission to confidentially access your grades (i.e. Course Weighted Average). This will help us see how mental health is related to academic performance. In the future we would use this information to inform effective prevention and early intervention programs for university students, ensuring Curtin students are mentally healthy and performing well academically. Providing consent to access your grades is completely voluntary. You can still participate in this study without allowing us to access these records.
How much of your time will participation involve?
The online surveys will each take approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Each of the five well-being modules will take approximately 15 minutes to complete, with the corresponding module worksheet taking approximately 5 minutes to complete. While the modules are self-paced, we ask that you complete all modules, worksheets and surveys within one (1) week. The total time commitment will be approximately 2 – 2.5 hours.
Do you have to take part in the study?
No, participation in this study is entirely voluntary. You are free to discontinue the surveys at any time by closing your web browser if you change your mind, or can skip any questions that you may not feel comfortable answering, without any repercussions. The information you provide before discontinuing will still be retained for research purposes.
If you agree to take part, please check 'yes' to the consent box in the survey and click on the arrow button to proceed to the questions. If you do not agree to take part, please check 'no’ and click on the arrow button to be guided back to Module 1 of the program.
What are the advantages of taking part?
The information collected will be used to help us develop online supports for the psychological and emotional well-being of university students. We are seeking to recruit 1000 participants.
What are the disadvantages of taking part?
It is possible that you become upset reflecting on your experiences with mental health concerns. If you do decide to continue with participation, and experience any distress from any of the questions, you can contact our team or access the online resources that are available for support, including:
· Curtin Counselling: https://students.curtin.edu.au/personal-support/counselling-guidance/counselling/
· Lifeline Australia: https://www.lifeline.org.au/
· Beyond Blue: https://www.beyondblue.org.au/
· Headspace: https://headspace.org.au/
· SANE Australia: https://www.sane.org/
How is my data being stored?
We will be collecting your responses to the online surveys over the course of the program. We will also record data in relation to the time you spend on the surveys and e-treatment modules, as you progress through the program. Your data will initially be stored on a secure server, powered by Qualtrics. At this initial stage, your responses will be identifiable. Once data collection has been completed, all research data will be downloaded from Qualtrics and transferred to a secure encrypted Curtin network drive. At this point, all research data will be de-identified by removing identifiable information (e.g. student ID). A separate password-protected list of student IDs will be retained in a separate secure folder on a Curtin network drive. From here on, we will only be analysing de-identified research data for program evaluation.
Will your participation in the project remain confidential?
You can be confident that if you take part in the research evaluation your data will be confidential and the information you provide will not be disclosed to other parties, only the research team will see your individual answers. Electronic data will be password-protected and securely stored on encrypted Curtin network drives. The information collected will be kept for 25 years after the research has ended. The results of this study may be presented at conferences or published in professional journals. We will not use any identifying information in any published materials. De-identified data may be deposited in a public repository, however no information that can identify you will be made publicly available.
Who can I contact if I have any questions or concerns?
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Penelope Hasking at:
managingemotion@curtin.edu.au
or Phone: +61 8 9266 3437.
Curtin University Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) has approved this study (HREC number HRE2019-0822). Should you wish to discuss the study with someone not directly involved, in particular that of any matters concerning the conduct of the study or your rights as a participant, or you wish to make a confidential complaint, you may contact the Ethics Officer on (08) 9266 9223 or the Manager, Research Integrity on (08) 9266 7093 or email hrec@curtin.edu.au