Participant Information

You are being invited to take part in a research study looking at how romantic partners support each other after the birth of their first child, and how this affects the experience of parenting. 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 follow the link at the bottom of the page to continue. Should you wish to complete a paper version of the study questionnaires please contact the principal investigator who will send these in a self-addressed envelope.

If you have any questions or queries about taking part in the study, please contact the principal investigator, Saul McLeod (saul.mcleod@.manchester.ac.uk). 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?

We are interested in how your attachment style influences awareness of partner support. Attachment styles are lasting patterns in the way people relate to one another. It is well known that attachment styles can bias how people view support from others and also the way they give support to other people.

This study will look at how the attachment styles of romantic partners work together to influence perceptions of support after the birth of their first child. We have chosen to study first time parents as romantic partners are coping with similar challenges which provide many opportunities for social support.

Why have I been invited to take part?

You have been invited to take part because you are over the age of 18 and:

are either a new parent with a child under 6 months, or expecting your first child.

married or living together with your romantic partner.

are confident with using the English Language.

Do I have to take part?

You do not have to take part. If you decide you don’t want to continue with the study after starting it, that’s fine; however, we won’t be able to remove the data you have already given us because it is completely anonymous and we won’t know which data is yours.

What would I be asked to do if I took part?

If you want to take part, then you will be asked to complete a number of questionnaires. You will do this on three separate occasions, with a gap of two months between each set of questions. You can complete these questionnaires at a time and place of your choosing, either online or via the post. There are eight surveys in total, and we expect that completing these surveys will take up to 25-30 minutes.

You will be asked some questions about how you and your partner relate to each other. In addition, you will be asked to answer questions regarding your experiences of a being a parent, such as perceived stress and how you are coping with looking after a baby. Finally, we will ask you questions about any depressive symptoms you may be experiencing, such as ‘I have been so unhappy that I have had difficulty sleeping ‘.

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?

As part of the research, you will be asked to complete measures relating to support experiences and your experiences of being a first-time parent, which includes difficult experiences you may have had. For some individuals completing such measures may be uncomfortable or lead to feelings of distress. Participants have the option to withdraw from the research at any point and do not need to answer any questions they do not wish to.

All participants will be offered information about sources of support should they need it. At the bottom of this page, and on completion of the survey, there is a list of contact details of various support services that you may contact if you experience distress as a result of participating. In addition, the contact details of the researcher are provided and you can contact the researcher in working hours.

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 of being a new parent. Research findings obtained during the study will also help us to better understand the factors involved in social support and may potentially be used to help people making the adjustment to parenthood.

If you would like me to email you a summary of the findings when the study is complete, please click the box ‘summary of findings’ on the following page.

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 please tick ‘prize draw’ on the following page.

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

You can withdraw from the study at any time without needing to give any explanation and have the option of withdrawing any data you have previously submitted.

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.

Your email address will be kept in a secure, password protected file and will not be attached to the information you provide on the survey and so the data collected will remain anonymous.

What will happen to the results of the research study?

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 in 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?

The chief investigator of this research is Saul McLeod:

The University of Manchester

School of Psychological Sciences

2nd Floor, Zochonis Building

Brunswick Street

Manchester

M13 9PL

saul.mcleod@manchester.ac.uk

Ph: 0161 3060437

The research supervisor’s details are:

Dr. Katherine Berry

Katherine.Berry@manchester.ac.uk

Ph: 0161 306 0400