Participant Information
Exploring the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Social Anxiety
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development Oxford Brookes University, Headington, OXFORD OX3 0BP.
Researcher: Emma Wilkinson, Undergraduate, Email: 19026573@brookes.ac.uk
Supervisor: Kate Wilmut, Email: k.wilmut@brookes.ac.uk
Please take time to read the following information carefully.
What is the purpose of the study?
The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between the COVID-19 restrictions and social anxiety to threat stimuli. The data will be collected through an emotional Stroop task where you will be presented with 48 words that are either red, blue, green, or yellow and will be asked to name the colour of the word, you will then be asked to answer some questions regarding your social anxiety levels and ways of dealing with the threat of COVID-19.
Why have I been invited to participate?
You have been invited to participate in this study through opportunity sampling. You should meet the criteria of being over 18 years of age, having English as your first language and not being colour blind. This study aims to recruit 50-100 people to participate in this study.
Do I have to take part?
No. It is up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part you will be asked to provide your consent, and you can keep, or download, a copy of this form if you wish by pressing “Download Study Information” button at the bottom of the participant information sheet or in the debrief. If you decide to take part, you are still free to withdraw unprocessed data and without giving a reason by closing the browser before pressing the ‘submit’ button.
What will happen to me if I take part?
If you choose to take part, you will be directed to the emotional Stroop task consisting of the 48 words in either red, blue, green, or yellow and asked to select the colour out of the four choices. You will then be directed to a questionnaire related to social anxiety and COVID-19 anxiety. The overall study will last 10-15 minutes. Your responses will be kept anonymous and will remain confidential.
What are the possible benefits or disadvantages of taking part?
There are no direct benefits of taking part in this study, however, you may find the outcomes of this study interesting. The main benefit will be to the researcher who is completing this research for their dissertation in psychology at Oxford Brookes University. There are no disadvantages in taking part in this study. The only cost to you is the time taken to complete the questionnaire and task. However, due to this experiment exploring anxiety and COVID-19, you can look at the following links if you feel as though you would like support or information regarding anxiety or coronavirus: (https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/anxiety-and-panic-attacks/about-anxiety/) (https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/feelings-and-symptoms/anxiety-fear-panic/) (https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/mental-health/mental-health-self-help-guides/anxiety-self-help-guide) (https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus) The links have also been provided in the debrief.
Will what I say in this study be kept confidential?
Yes. You will not be asked to give any information that could be used to identify you personally (e.g., your name, date of birth, IP address). Only the researcher involved in the study will have access to your anonymous responses. Confidentiality, privacy and anonymity will be ensured in the collection, storage and publication of research material (subject to legal limitations). Research data will be stored in Google Drive, for which the University has a security agreement.
What should I do if I want to take part?
If you would like to take part please click on the Continue to Experiment button at the bottom of this page before proceeding.
What will happen to the results of the research study?
The results of this study will be written up for a dissertation, and may be published in an academic journal, or presented at a conference. They may also be used for future research on the topic. All data collected from this research will be kept in keeping with the University’s policy of Academic Integrity. This means that all data will be securely stored in paper or electronic form for a period of 10 years when the project is finished. If you would like a summary of this study's findings, please email me on 19026573@brookes.ac.uk after June 2022.
Who has reviewed the study?
This research is being conducted by a Psychology student at Oxford Brookes University as part of the requirement for their course. The study procedures have been reviewed and approved by the Psychology Research Ethics Committee, Oxford Brookes University. If you have any concerns about how the study has been conducted, please contact the Psychology Research Ethics Officer, Dr Emma Davies, on edavies@brookes.ac.uk
Contact for Further Information
Please contact the researcher or their supervisor (contact details above) if you would like any further information about this study.
If you wish to obtain a summary of the findings when they have been written up please e-mail Emma Wilkinson at 19026573@brookes.ac.uk.
Thank you for taking time to read the information sheet.
16/11/21
