Combined Participant Information Sheet and Consent Form for Anonymous Online Surveys for Adult Participants
Study Title: Media depictions of inappropriate media usage in violent adolescent offenders
Researcher(s): Victoria Taylor
University email: vt1g19@soton.ac.uk
Ethics/ERGO no: 69844
Version and date: Version 2, 28th January 2022
What is the research about?
My name is Victoria Taylor, and I am a BSc Criminology and Psychology student at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom.
I am inviting you to participate in a study regarding how the English newspapers portray violent media consumption by selected violent offenders prior to their crimes. This survey will look at how parents and caregivers respond to what is reported about media consumption by the offenders in the selected case studies.
This study was approved by the Faculty Research Ethics Committee (FREC) at the University of Southampton (Ethics/ERGO Number: 69844).
What will happen to me if I take part?
This study involves completing an anonymous questionnaire which should take approximately 20 to 30 minutes of your time. The survey needs to be completed in one sitting. If you are happy to complete this survey, you will need to tick (check) the box below to show your consent. As this survey is anonymous, the researcher will not be able to know whether you have participated, or attribute answers directly to you.
Why have I been asked to participate?
You have been asked to take part because you are a parent or actively involved in the daily upbringing of at least one child born between 01/09/2013 (currently school year 3 or older) 31/08/2003 and currently residing within the United Kingdom. [please note that by 'actively involved in the daily upbringing of' means biological parents, step-parent/co-habiting with the parent, long-term foster parent, adoptive parent, have parental responsibility for or legal guardianship of. For this study is open to those who work within foster care, children's residential units or other in a role which has an influence on the upbringing of the child/ren even if only for a short time but still born between the specified dates]. The study is about this is about your responses to how media consumption is portrayed in these case studies and is not about making judgements about your approach to parenting and no judgements will be inferred.
I am aiming to recruit around 50 participants for this study.
What information will be collected?
The questions in this survey ask for information in relation to the age and gender of your child/ren, and your relationship to them, but no details about your age, location or ethnicity are needed or collected for this study.
The study does include a brief description of the main crimes committed by the offenders in the case studies, which were violent and maybe upsetting, followed by some questions about quotations taken straight from a variety of newspaper articles.
Most of the survey questions contain text boxes, where you will be asked to type in your own answers. Please note that in order for this survey to be anonymous, you should not include in your answers any information from which you, or other people, could be identified.
You do not have to answer all the questions if you do not wish to do so, but it would be really helpful if you could.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
If you decide to take part in this study, you will not receive any direct benefits; however, your participation will contribute to knowledge in this area of research. If you take part through the psychology efolio system you will only receive research credits on completion of the whole survey, but your answers will remain anonymous due to it being on iSurvey.
Are there any risks involved?
It is expected that taking part in this study will not cause you any psychological discomfort and/or distress. However, should you feel uncomfortable you can leave the survey at any time by closing the browser window or contact the following resources for support:
Solent Mind tele: 0238 202 7810, info@solentmind.org.uk, https://www.solentmind.org.uk/
Students of the University of Southampton can also contact the student hub: (0)23 80599 599 or emailing studenthub@southampton.ac.uk, https://www.southampton.ac.uk/studentservices/student-life.page
What will happen to the information collected?
All information collected for this study will be stored securely on a password protected computer and backed up on a secure server. The anonymised data will be analysed and extracts maybe quoted in the final write up of the project in the form of 'one parent said…'.
The information collected will be analysed and written up as part of my undergraduate dissertation.
The University of Southampton conducts research to the highest standards of ethics and research integrity. In accordance with our Data Management Policy, data will be securely destroyed after conferment of the researcher’s degree in summer 2022.
What happens if there is a problem?
If you are unhappy about any aspect of this study and would like to make a formal complaint, you can contact the Head of Research Integrity and Governance, University of Southampton, on the following contact details: Email: rgoinfo@soton.ac.uk, phone: + 44 2380 595058.
Please quote the Ethics/ERGO number above. Please note that by making a complaint you might be no longer anonymous.
More information on your rights as a study participant is available via this link:
https://www.southampton.ac.uk/about/governance/participant-information.page
Thank you for reading this information sheet and considering taking part in this research.
Please tick (check) this box to indicate that you have read and understood the information on this form,
are aged 18 or over and agree to take part in this survey.
