Invitation to participate in a research study
You are being invited to take part in a research study investigating individual differences in personality, the role of paternal involvement, prior experiences of bullying, and perceptions about muscularity among males from the general population. Before you agree to take part, it is important for you to understand the purpose of the research and what your participation will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully. If you wish, you can discuss it with friends, family, or your general practitioner. If you are unclear about any information regarding this research, please contact a member of the research team using the details below. You can come back to this page at any time using the same link as before.
Purpose of the study
The purpose of this study is to better understand personality, the role of paternal involvement, prior experiences of bullying, and the relationship of these with our perception of body image/muscularity.
Do I have to take part in this study?
It is completely your decision whether you would like to take part. If you wish to withdraw from the study at any point, simply exit the browser window, and you will not have to give a reason or fill out any additional forms. If during the study you do not wish to respond to a particular question, you can skip it by leaving the response blank and moving on to the next question. You will not need to explain why. We can also remove your data from the study if you contact us before we anonymize your data. To do so, please use the contact
details below and inform a member of the research team that you would like your data removed from the study and destroyed.
What will I have to do to take part?
This study will involve the completion of an online questionnaire which should take approximately 30 minutes to complete. The survey includes questions relating to demographics (age, sex, BMI, training history), your personality (your individual characteristics), your emotions (how you feel), your relationship with your biological father, prior experiences of bullying, and your perceptions of muscularity/body image. Below are example statements that you will be asked to respond to:
I greatly enrich others’ lives
I often interpret remarks of others in a personal way
Most people are somehow losers
I think I am a special person
I think my body is too small
Were you bullied at school?
I take a positive attitude toward myself.
I see myself as: Extraverted, enthusiastic
Will I be asked to provide my contact Information?
No. Personal details will not be collected at any point. Your responses will not be identifiable at any point during collection, analysis, or reporting.
Am I eligible to take part?
If you are 18+ years of age and are a biologically sexed male, then you are eligible to take part in this study.
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
By participating in this research you will be helping us to gain further understanding about how personality types, the father/son relationship and prior experiences of bullying are related to perceptions of body image. This valuable information may help inform the development of future interventions and support systems.
What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
The risks are considered minimal. However, we do ask some sensitive questions about your mental health (e.g., body image/muscularity, experiences of bullying). As previously mentioned, if you feel uncomfortable answering any questions, you may skip them and move onto the next question, or withdraw your participation at any time. You may also wish to talk to family, friends, your general practitioner, or mental health professional, before you decide whether you would like to take part in this study. If you are concerned about your own, or a friend's mental health, please visit:
https://www.mind.org.uk
http://www.thebodyimageclinic.co.uk
https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org
How secure is the online questionnaire?
For this study, we are using online survey software, named OnlineSurvey. Their servers are protected by high-end firewall systems, and vulnerability scans which are performed regularly. OnlineSurvey uses security encryption for all transmitted data. They also protect surveys with passwords and HTTP referrer checking.
Will my information be confidential?
All the information you provide is anonymized and remains confidential at all times; When you complete the study no information shall be passed on to any third party for data gathering procedures, or advertisement.Research data (age, sex, training background, perceptions on personality, and body image) will be stored in a password-protected file separate from other datasets. Furthermore, research will be stored on secure, encrypted file on cloud storage for a maximum ten years before they are destroyed. Only the named researchers (Dr T Wooldridge, Dr M Boulter and Dr S Sandgren) will be able to access these files. We may seek to publish the findings of this research in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Should this happen we can assure you that you will not be personally identifiable in any report or publication that may arise from this research. Should you wish to contact us, all e-mail correspondence will take place via a password protected e-mail accounts.
Institutional Review Board
The Institutional Review Board at Golden Gate University, San Francisco, USA, has reviewed this study’s survey instruments, instructions for the study, and considered the treatment and impact of the study on participants in an effort to ensure that human subjects are treated ethically.
Feedback on conduct of research
We are always happy to hear about our research participants’ experiences. If you would like to provide feedback, please contact one of the research team by e-mail.
Any questions?
If you have any further questions about this research before deciding whether to take part please contact a member of the research team below.
Research team:
Dr Tom Wooldridge , Golden Gate University, USA. Email: twooldridge@ggu.edu
, Golden Gate University, USA. Email: twooldridge@ggu.edu Dr Matt Boulter , Bangor University, UK. Email: m.boulter@bangor.ac.uk
, Bangor University, UK. Email: m.boulter@bangor.ac.uk Dr Sebastian S. Sandgren, University of Stavanger, Norway. Email: sebastian.s.sandgren@uis.no
Thank you for considering to take part in this research!