Thank you for your interest in our research project entitled “Stability of Neuroticism, Anxiety, and Depression.”
The study is a longitudinal study that will comprise a total of three measurement points. At each measurement point, you will complete three short questionnaires to assess neuroticism, anxiety, and depression. In order to inform you about the start of the survey at the three measurement points, we ask you to provide your email address in this initial questionnaire. In order to be able to match the data from the various measurement times, you must also create an individual code (i.e., a pseudonym). To ensure your anonymity, the data that reveals your identity (i.e., the data that contains your email adress and your pseudonym) will be stored separately from the questionnaire data und managed exclusively by an independent person.
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Please read the following information carefully before deciding whether to participate in the study.
Project management:
Lennart Nacke, Departement of Psychology, Bielefeld University, has overall responsibility for this study. The following individuals are also involved in the study: Joana Rodrigues (research assistant, data collection). The study is being conducted as part of a thesis and has no separate funding.
Background and objective of the study:
In this study, neuroticism, anxiety in a non-clinical context, and depression in a non-clinical context are assessed at a total of three measurement points. The aim is to examine the stability of these three constructs in isolation from measurement-specific fluctuations and to compare them with each other. It is assumed that neuroticism as a personality trait should exhibit greater stability than (non-clinical) anxiety and depression.
Location:
The survey will be conducted online via the LimeSurvey platform.
Procedure and content of the survey:
Participants in this study will complete three personality questionnaires: one questionnaire to assess (non-clinical) anxiety, one questionnaire to assess (non-clinical) depression, and one questionnaire to assess neuroticism (a personality trait that encompasses differences in mood regulation and coping with psychological stress).
Duration:
Based on experience, the total duration of the examination is approximately 30 minutes. The processing time per measurement is estimated at 5-10 minutes.
Expense allowance:
For participating, you will receive either 1.5 test subject hours (creditable toward a B.Sc. in Psychology) or a monetary expense allowance in the form of a voucher (8 Best Choice vouchers worth €10). The test subject hours will be automatically credited when you register via Sona. The vouchers will be raffled off among all participants at the end and sent by email. The probability of winning therefore depends on the number of participants.
Advantages and disadvantages:
If you are studying psychology at Bielefeld University and have been recruited via a course mailing list, your (non-)participation in this study will not result in any advantages or disadvantages in terms of your academic performance, exam results, or other study-related aspects (e.g., allocation of places in seminars). Some of the questionnaires we use in this study contain questions of a personal nature (i.e., questions about mental health issues) and should therefore be completed in an undisturbed environment. If you feel mentally distressed, you can contact the following counseling centers and support services:
Psychological Counseling Service Bielefeld:
https://www.gfs-bielefeld.de/beratung-und-betreuung/beratungsdienste/psychologischer-beratungsdienst
+49 521 132415
Social Psychiatric Service Bielefeld:
https://www.bielefeld.de/spsd#sozialpsy
+49 521 51-2581
Telephone counseling service in Germany:
08001110111 / 08001110222 or 116123
Alternatively, the two experiment leaders (see section “Contact persons for queries”) are available as contact persons and will refer you to suitable sources of help if necessary.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria for participation:
You can participate in the study if you are at least 16 years old.
Voluntary participation and right of withdrawal:
Your participation is voluntary. You can withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason and without any disadvantage to yourself. In this case, however, you will not receive any compensation due to the short duration of the study. If you withdraw prematurely, the data collected up to that point will be used for evaluation.
Data protection and data use:
Data will be collected and processed as part of this study. You will remain anonymous. In order to participate in the study, you will need to provide your email address once. You will receive invitation links to the surveys at the three measurement points via the email address you provide. Due to the size of the sample in combination with the chosen methodological approach, the research data cannot be traced back to a specific person or email address at any time. After completion of the study, the anonymous research data will be stored for further use, e.g., for further evaluation. The purpose, nature, and scope of potential further use cannot be predicted at this time.
Contact persons for inquiries:
If you have any questions about the study, please contact Joana Rodrigues (joana.rodrigues@uni-bielefeld.de) and Lennart Nacke (lennart.nacke@uni-bielefeld.de, +49 (0)521 106-4318).