Parenthood and Happiness

Consent Form

Thank you for your interest in participating in the current study.

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between savouring and well-being in parents and non-parents. Once started, the online survey should take approximately 20 minutes, during which time you will be asked questions about your parenthood status, your level of well-being, and your tendency to savour. You must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

By consenting to participate, you do not waive any of your rights to legal recourse in the event of research-related harm. Please note that your participation is completely anonymous and confidential. The data will only be presented in summary form and no individual data will be presented. No participants will be identified in the analyses and in the dissemination of results. Furthermore, your responses will only be analyzed by the researcher and the thesis supervisor. The information and data collected will be contained by the research team and will be stored on password protected computers. However, any data sent or stored online may be legally accessed by domestic or foreign authorities. Please also note that employers may have legal access to any information sent using any employer-owned equipment, therefore, it is recommended that you use your own equipment to complete this study if possible. Data collected by LimeSurvey will be accessible by employees at Acadia University who support and administer the survey software and its underlying systems and require such access to fulfill those stated duties.

Please be aware that participation is completely voluntary, and you are not expected to answer any questions that make you uncomfortable. You can choose to stop participating at any time by skipping through the survey or exiting the web browser you are using. If you choose to stop part way through, it is recommended that you skip to the end of the survey, as a debriefing form will be presented which contains important information. Please note that researchers will not be able to withdraw your data after the survey is completed, as there is no way to identify which data set belongs to which participant. The responses will only be analyzed by Jessica Meister and Dr. André Lauzon. The data collected will be stored in a secure location and kept for five years in accordance with the Canadian Psychological Association guidelines and five years post-publication date. The data will then be securely deleted. The data collected from this study will not be commercialized.

Although unlikely, it is possible that participating in this study will bring up unpleasant memories or feelings. If you are experiencing distress while or after completing the survey, we invite you to visit betterhelp.com to set up an appointment with a counsellor, or crisisservicescanada.ca to find crisis help if you are in Canada. You may also contact the researchers (Jessica Meister at 153301m@acadiau.ca or Dr. André Lauzon at andre.lauzon@acadiau.ca) who can assist you in finding mental health support in your area.

Your participation will contribute to the understanding of the relationship between parenthood and well-being, and the role that savouring plays in the relationship. There will be no compensation for participating in this study.

If you have any questions regarding the following research or have any ethical concerns regarding the study, please contact the researchers, Jessica Meister at 153301m@acadiau.ca or Dr. André Lauzon at andre.lauzon@acadiau.ca. Moreover, to report any ethical concerns, you may contact the chair of the Acadia Research Ethics Board, Dr. Stephen Maitzen, at smaitzen@acadiau.ca .

The present study has been reviewed by the Research Ethics Board.

To acknowledge that you have read and understand the above information, and consent to participation in this study, please click the “NEXT” button at the bottom of the page.