Social Environment and Life Satisfaction

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PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET: Social environment and life satisfaction.

Thank you for taking the time to read this information. It is important that you read this information to understand what you will be asked to do if you decide to take part in this study.

Purpose of the Research:
This study is being conducted by Emma Barkus, Emma Walter and Suzanne So Ho-Wai. The research aims to investigate the nature of social connection; we will be considering the information we gather here with similar information collected while the social distancing measures were in place in 2020. If you agree to take part you will complete a number of questionnaires which capture information about you, your social environment, how connected to others you feel, and your emotions. We are interested in how your social environment relates to how you feel about your life in general.

Who is involved in this study?
If you have any questions about the study, please get in touch with the two study leads where data collection is predominantly taking place, their email addresses are listed below:

Dr. Emma Barkus
Northumbria University
emma.barkus@northumbria.ac.uk

Dr. Emma Walter                                     Dr. Suzanne So Ho-Wai
Western Sydney University                    The Chinese University of Hong Kong
E.Walter@westernsydney.edu.au

We are interested in hearing from people who are aged over 18 years, aside from this we want to hear from a variety of people.

What will you be asked to do if you take part?
If you choose to be included in the study, you will complete a number of questionnaires online. The questions will ask about you, the types of social connection you are currently maintaining and your current living environment. We will also ask about your physical and mental health. It is important to understand your circumstances because they could influence how you experience your social environment.

Following these questions, you will then be asked a number of questions about your social interactions and how you feel about the relationships you have other people. These questions will include how connected you feel with people in your social environment and whether you are satisfied with your life in general. There will also be some questions about how you have felt over the last two weeks. There are no right or wrong responses to any of these questions, please respond with your gut responses, these are often the most representative of how we are thinking and feeling. If you think that questions in any of these areas might make you uncomfortable or distress you, please keep in mind that you do not have to take part in the study.

You will also be asked to provide a unique code for your responses. Use a memorable code that will be unique to you but does not include personal information such as your date of birth. Please ensure that you remember your code. If you change your mind about taking part once you submitted your responses, please get in touch with the researchers and provide your memorable code so that your responses can be removed. If you change your mind about being involved in the study while you are completing the questions, simply close your browser. Incomplete responses will not be included in the final data.

Possible Risks, Inconveniences & Discomforts:
The information collected in the current study may be presented at conferences and could be published as a paper in an academic journal. However, no one person will be identifiable from the way in which the data will be reported, only group information, such as averages, will be reported. We may need to make the original data openly available in a public repository as part of the publication process. However, this data will not only for any one person to be identified only de-identified data will be stored. All your data will be stored safely throughout the research process.

Your involvement in this study is voluntary. You are free to refuse to participate or to withdraw your consent to participate. This decision will not affect your relationship with the organisations or researchers involved in the current study. You may decide to withdraw from the study at any time. If you do not complete the survey, the responses you have provided to that point will be deleted. If once you have submitted your responses, you reflect on the study and decide you do not wish to take part, please get in touch with either Emma Walter or Emma Barkus within 3 weeks of completing the study and your responses will be removed.

Some of the questions ask about personal information and your emotions. Some people may find this distressing. If you feel distressed during the study please feel free to stop completing the questions and withdraw from the study. If you find that you have additional questions get in touch with the researcher. You can talk to your family, a trusted friend or your GP about how you are feeling. If you feel that you would like to talk to someone more immediately about how you are feeling, you are able to contact the services listed below:
UK:
Mental Health Foundation
www.mentalhealth.org.uk

Samaritans:
Tel: 116 123 (free 24-hour helpline)

USA:
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):
Tel: 1-800-950-6264

Mental Health America:
Tel: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)

Australia:
Beyond Blue
Tel: 1300 22 46 36

Lifeline:
Tel: 131 114

Benefits of the Research:
The questionnaires will take no more than 20 minutes to complete. It is hoped that this research will improve our understanding of the types of social connection which help to preserve how satisfied we are with our lives. In the longer run, this will help to shape the advice given to people about how to maintain positive well-being. Understanding ways to maintain positive social connection and well-being will assist in preserving mental health. People who are completing the study through a Research Participation Pool will receive course credit for taking part.

ETHICS REVIEW & COMPLAINTS:
This study has been reviewed by the Human Research Ethics Committee at Northumbria University and Western Sydney University Ethics Committee.

If you have any concerns or complaints regarding the way in which this research has been conducted you can contact Nick Neave on nick.neave@northumbria.ac.uk at Northumbria University.
Alternatively you can contact Western Sydney University Ethics Committee through Research Services on Tel +61 2 4736 0229 or email humanethics@westernsydney.edu.au

Thank you for your interest.