School of Psychological Sciences

2nd Floor, Zochonis Building

The University of Manchester

Brunswick Street

Manchester

M13 9PL

Participant Information Sheet

The Role of Psychological Factors in Psychotic Type Experiences

You are being invited to take part in a research study looking at what factors influence the development of experiences such as feeling suspicious (paranoia) and hearing voices. Before you decide whether or not you would like to take part in the study please read the following information carefully and understand what taking part would involve for you. Then click the button at the bottom of the page to continue. If you have any questions or queries about taking part in the study, please contact the principal investigator, Hannah Ogden. You do not have to make the decision straight away, so if you have any doubts or feel unsure please take some time to think it over.

What is the study about?

This study will look at particular psychological processes that may play a role in psychotic-like experiences. Psychotic symptoms occur on a continuum of severity. This continuum ranges from normal functioning to psychosis related disorders. It is well known that symptoms of psychosis, such as hallucinations and paranoia, can be a sign of a mental health problem. However, they can also occur in the general population. It is therefore important to study the general population who do not have a mental health difficulty. This will help to better understand factors that underlie symptoms of psychotic-like experiences and in turn will help with the development of treatments for these experiences.

Why have I been invited to take part?

You have been invited to take part in this study because you are aged 18 years or older. We hope to recruit 300 individuals to take part in this study.

Do I have to take part?

No, it is your decision whether you take part or not. Before proceeding with the study you will be asked to provide your consent by clicking 'yes' to proceed. You are free to withdraw from this study at any time, without giving a reason.

Who can participate?

Due to the nature of this study we are asking everyone some questions in order to determine whether there is any reason they should not participate. If you respond ‘yes’ to any of the following questions you will not be able to participate in the present study:

'Have you ever had a psychotic illness such as bipolar illness, schizophrenia, mania, depression where you have lost touch with what is real and what is not?' or 'Are you currently taking any antipsychotic medication?' This is due to this study being a non-clinical study and it is therefore important to look at the effects of attachment, fantasy proneness and absorption in the general population.

What will I be asked to do if I take part?

If you decide to take part you will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires online. This should take no longer than 45 minutes. You will also be asked to answer the questions above and to confirm your age, gender and ethnicity.

Questionnaires

The questionnaires in this study look at a number of different things such as difficult experiences you may have had, anxiety you may experience, and hallucinations and vivid dreams. Examples of questions that may be asked are ‘Have you ever deliberately been attacked that severely by someone with whom you were very close’ and ‘Have you ever been in a major automobile, boat, motorcycle, plane, train, or industrial accident that resulted significant loss of personal property, serious injury to self, or other, the death of a significant other, or the fear of your own death’. There are no right or wrong answers. You will be asked to rate your experiences on a scale or answer yes or no to questions.

Once you have started the questionnaires, you need to finish it in one sitting as there is no facility for saving and returning at a later date.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?

It is possible that you may find some of the questions upsetting. If this is the case, you are free to leave these questions unanswered and are welcome to end your participation at any time. Please find a list of contact details of various support services that you may contact if you experience distress as a result of participating at the bottom of this page or at the end of the survey. In addition, the contact details of the researcher are provided and you can contact the researcher in working hours. If you experience distress out of hours please attend A&E or contact the crisis team on 0161 720 2045.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

Taking part in this research is unlikely to help you directly. However, completing the survey may provide you with an opportunity to reflect on your feelings and experiences. Research findings obtained during the study will also help us to better understand the psychological processes in psychosis and may potentially be used to improve psychological treatments.

If you would like me to email you a summary of the findings when the study is complete, please fill in your email address in the box provided at the end of the survey, and tick the box ‘summary of findings’.

Reimbursement for my time

Whilst there will be no financial reimbursement, you will have the opportunity to enter your details into a prize draw. A prize of £50 of high street vouchers will be drawn for 5 entrants as a token of appreciation. If you would like to be entered into the prize draw we will ask you to provide your email address at the end of the survey.

If you are a psychology student, we are able to provide you with 3 research credits if you access this study by signing up in a timeslot through the SONA system.

What will happen if I don’t want to carry on with the study?

You can withdraw from the study at any time. However, as your data is anonymised, it cannot be withdrawn from the database. We will therefore keep the data you have entered up to your withdrawal.

Will my taking part in the study be kept confidential?

Yes, in accordance with the Data Protection Act of 1998, all information about you will be handled in strict confidence. The data collected during the study will be stored in a secure place and only researchers will have access to it. Data files stored on the computer will be password protected. No names or addresses will be included and participants will be identified only by numbers in any computerised data files used in the analysis of the results. The data you provide will be kept anonymously for a maximum of 10 years on the University’s secure server. It will then be permanently deleted.

What will happen to the results of the research study?

This study is for an educational qualification. The results of the research will be included in a report that will be submitted for examination by the University of Manchester. The results may also be published within an academic journal, and may be presented at conferences. There will be no personal information about any of the people who participate within any of these reports or presentations.

Who is involved in this research?

Hannah Ogden:

The University of Manchester

School of Psychological Sciences

2nd Floor, Zochonis Building

Brunswick Street

Manchester

M13 9PL

hannah.ogden@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

Ph: 0161 306 0400

The research supervisor’s details are:

Dr Sandra Bucci

Sandra.Bucci@manchester.ac.uk

Ph: 0161 306 0400

Dr Katherine Berry

Katherine.Berry@manchester.ac.uk

Ph: 0161 306 0400

Where can I obtain further information if I need it?

Should you have any questions regarding this study, please contact hannah.ogden@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk

What if I have questions or want to complain about this study?

If you have any questions or concerns about this study, please contact the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions. If you wish to make a complaint regarding the study please contact the University Research Practice and Governance Coordinator on 0161 275 7583 or 0161 275 8093 or send an email to research.complaints@manchester.ac.uk

Who has approved the study?

The University of Manchester Ethics Committee.

The following is a list of services you may contact for support, advice, or in emergency:

Organisations

Turn2me.org

This is a web space for people to share, discuss and offload personal problems, find support and get useful information.

www.turn2me.org

Sane Line

0845 767 8000

Offering specialist mental health emotional support 6-11pm every day.

You can also email through their website.

www.sane.org.uk

Rethink

0300 5000 927

Open Mon-Fri 10am - 2pm. Rethink provide support, advice and signposting for carers.

http://www.rethink.org/

Hearing Voices Network

0114 271 8210

nhvn@hotmail.co.uk

Samaritans

0845 7909090

jo@samaritans.org

Open 24 hours a day. They offer confidential emotional support by telephone, email, text, letter and face to face.

NHS Direct

111

Open 24 hours a day. They provide health advice and information.

Thank you for reading this information sheet.