INFORMATION PAGE

 

Alcohol Use and Lifestyle Choices

 

The purpose of this project is to investigate the relationship between alcohol use, lifestyle habits and behaviour. This study is being conducted by Dr Ross Hollett, Dr Werner Stritzke, and Dr Michael Weinborn. If you agree to participate, then you will be asked to complete the tasks described below. Note that you must be aged at least 18 years and have consumed at least one alcohol beverage in the last month to participate.

The first part of this study involves completing a 30 minute online survey. Following the online survey, you will have the opportunity to volunteer for the second part of this study which will take place at Edith Cowan University Joondalup. On completion of both the online survey and the laboratory study, you will be offered $40 in gift vouchers. Participating in the first part of this study does not obligate you to participate in the second. That is, you can just complete the online part of the study, however you would not be eligible for the gift card. Even if you leave a contact detail to be invited to the second part, you can decline this invitation when it is offered.

During the online survey, questions will first be asked to collect some basic demographic (e.g., age, sex) and substance use information (e.g., alcohol and illicit substances). You will then be presented with questions which ask about attitudes towards everyday situations and your behaviour in these situations (examples include drink driving and unprotected sex). You will also complete a simulated drinking task, where you earn hypothetical money by taking sips from a virtual alcoholic beverage. Another simulation will involve pumping up a virtual balloon to earn hypothetical money. Please be aware that some of the questions will ask about activities which are illegal and/or embarrassing but you have the option for the data to be collected anonymously. Further questions will also ask about your attitudes towards others and your general mood. At the completion of the survey, you can volunteer for the laboratory study by leaving a contact detail (phone or email). Note that your supplied contact detail will be used to link your online data to any data collected during the laboratory session. Once you participate in the laboratory session study or decline the invitation (or do not respond), your contact detail will be removed and replaced with an anonymous code number.

If you volunteer to participate in the laboratory session, you will be asked to complete a series of computer tasks which involve reacting to images and words related to alcohol as well as sipping from a virtual glass of alcohol and pumping up a virtual balloon. These tasks are expected to take around 30-45 minutes and you will be asked to re-consent to these procedures when arriving for the laboratory session.

If the questions in the survey, or activities during the laboratory sessions cause you any discomfort and you feel in need of support, please contact a relevant support service (e.g., Lifeline, 13 11 14 or the Drug and Alcohol Support line, 9442 5000).

You will be given a debriefing information page at the end of the survey and at the end of the laboratory session. A benefit of participating in this study is the knowledge that you are helping researchers understand how alcohol use influences other behaviours, which could have negative consequences. Through your participation, you would also be contributing the development of some new psychological tools for clinical and research settings. Note that your decision to participate (or not) will not affect your relationship with ECU. Furthermore, please be aware that Ross Hollett might be a lecturer in a psychology course that you are completing, but your participation, or non-participation, will have no bearing on the relationship with this lecturer.

All data collected will remain strictly confidential, and will be identified by an anonymous code number only, unless you supply a contact detail which includes identifying information. However, once your involvement in the study is complete, all data will made anonymous. During data collection. all information collected will be permanently and securely stored within the School of Arts and Humanities (ECU), and may be used for future research projects. Following completion of the data collection, any publications arising from the study will be accompanied by the provision of the anonymous data via open access repositories. Participation is voluntary and you are free to withdraw from the study at any time without prejudice or penalty. If you choose to withdraw during the online survey, simply close the survey. If you complete the survey, provision of your contact detail will allow all records of your participation to be destroyed, unless the contact detail has already been deleted. If you do not provide a contact detail, then it will be impossible to remove records of your participation. If you are interested in the results of this study, please contact the chief investigator. These procedures have been approved by the ECU Human Research Ethics Committee.

 

If you have any concerns or complaints about the research project and wish to talk to an independent person, please contact:

Research Ethics Officer

Edith Cowan University

270 Joondalup Drive

JOONDALUP WA 6027

Ph: (08) 6304 2170

Email: research.ethics@ecu.edu.au