Consent to Participate in a Research Study
Argosy University, Twin Cities Campus
American School of Professional Psychology
Clinical Psychology Department
Title of Study: Patterns of Dyadic Satisfaction with Couples that Play Video Games
IRB Study # 2010-53
Consent Form Version Date: 2/3/2011
Principal Investigator: Ryan Wohlman, B.A.S.
Principal Investigator Email: rwohlman@stu.argosy.edu
Faculty Chair: Dr. Michael Harvey, Psy.D., LP
Faculty Chair Email: miharvey@argosy.edu
Faculty Committee Members: Dr. Madaline Barnes, Ph.D., LP; Dr. Jim Theisen, Ph.D., LP
Faculty Committee Member Emails: mbarnes@argosy.edu & jtheisen@argosy.edu
You have been asked to participate in a research study conducted by Ryan Wohlman, under the supervision of his committee chair, Dr. Michael Harvey of the Argosy University/Twin Cities Department of Clinical Psychology, as part of his Clinical Research Project. You were invited to participate in this study because you are in a significant relationship (either married or cohabitating), either you and/or your significant other play video games, and you are above the age of 18. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between video game use and a couple’s level of dyadic/marital satisfaction. Please note that participation in this study is strictly voluntary. You may refuse to participate, or you may withdraw your consent to be a part of this study, for any reason, without penalty. More details about the study will be provided below. It is important for you read the following carefully in order for you to make an informed choice about whether or not you wish to be a part of this study. Your decision to participate or not participate will have no impact with your affiliation with Argosy University or with any on-line gaming forum or gaming network.
Participation in the study typically takes 10-15 minutes. You will answer a multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questionnaire. Your survey will be linked to your partner’s survey; however, your partner will not be able to see the way you answered in your survey. Please be honest and answer to the best of your knowledge. You will be asked specific questions regarding video game habits and demographic information (e.g. age, gender, ethnicity, and annual income). You will also be asked to complete the Dyadic Adjustment Scale to assess your perceived level of dyadic/marital satisfaction. It is requested that you encourage your significant other to complete this survey as it will be beneficial to receive both partners’ input.
You may not receive any direct benefits from participating in this study; however, you would be adding to new knowledge within this area of research. This information may help people in the future. Although there are no direct benefits, there may be some potential risks, which include, but are not limited to, possible conflict within your significant relationship. This may occur if video game habits have been a stressor within the relationship and have not been addressed. If by taking this survey you feel that you are in need of locating services to assist with problems with video game/internet addiction and/or relational discord, please contact your local community mental health center. You may also find additional support for video game addiction by visiting www.olganon.org.
In the attempt to ensure that your survey is paired with your partner’s survey, a random number will be generated on the “thank you” page after submitting your survey. If you are the first person in the relationship completing the survey, you will be requested to make note of this number and provide it to your significant other. If you are the second person in the couple completing the survey, you will be asked to submit your partner’s randomly generated number in an optional question.
All responses will be treated as confidential, and in no case will responses from individual participants be identified. Participants should be aware that the experiment is not being run from a "secure" https server, so there is a small possibility that responses could be viewed by unauthorized third parties (e.g. computer hackers). Additionally, no words linking you to the study will be included in any sort of report that might be published. Surveys and demographic information will be stored in the Clinical Psychology Department at Argosy University/Twin Cities in a locked file cabinet. All data will be kept for a minimum of 5 years after the completion of this study. Only the researcher, the committee members, and the people who audit Intuitional Review Board (IRB) procedures will have access to the data. After 5 years, the data will be disposed of by destroying the discs that the data is stored on.
You have the right to receive a summary of the results of this research, if you would like to have them, send a request to the principal investigator, Ryan Wohlman, via e-mail (rwohlman@stu.argosy.edu). If you choose to participate in this study, you are free to refuse to answer any questions that may make you feel uncomfortable. If you have any further questions you may contact the principal investigator via the e-mail provided above or the faculty chair, Dr. Michael Harvey, Psy.D., LP, at miharvey@argosy.edu. If you have any comments or concerns regarding this study, you may also contact Agrosy University’s IRB by phone 651-846-3520 or e-mail autcirb@argosy.edu.
If you are 18 years of age or older, have read and understand the above information, and freely consent to participate in the study, click on the "NEXT" button to begin the questionnaire.