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INFORMATION FORM
TITLE: The Maturation of Spirituality and Its Influence on Behavior in
Late Adolescence
PROJECT DIRECTOR: Deanna Mason, Ph.D. RN CPNP
PHONE #: 1-952-955-6657 (U.S.) or +34 676.972.608 (Spain)
EMAIL: deanna@deannamasonresearch.org
DEPARTMENT: School of Nursing
STATEMENT OF RESEARCH
A person who is to participate in a research study must agree to such participation. To do
so, the person must have an understanding of the nature and risks of the research. This document
provides information that is important for this understanding. Research projects include only
subjects who choose to take part. Please take your time in making your decision as to whether to
participate. If you have questions at any time, please ask.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY?
You are invited to be in a research study investigating how spirituality influences the
maturation or growing up process of late adolescents because you are between the ages of 16
years and 21 years.
The purpose of this research study is to learn what meaning spirituality has for you as you
grow into an adult. This knowledge will be helpful to support or contradict current research
showing there is a strong connection between spirituality and decision making. This study wants
to learn more about this directly from you.
HOW MANY PEOPLE WILL PARTICIPATE?
Approximately 30 people will take part in this study. Youth from the United States, the
United Kingdom, Turkey, Canada, France, Italy, Indonesia, Australia, Colombia and Spain will
be asked to participate.
HOW LONG WILL I BE IN THIS STUDY?
Your participation in the study will last about 2 weeks and include approximately 10
emails. The interviews will be conducted through email, so you will have the ability to answer
questions when you have time and a response to give. There will be no need to visit a specific
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place or schedule a specific time to meet. Each interview question will take about 10 minutes to
answer, but this will depend on the length of your response.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING THIS STUDY?
If you are interested in learning more about the study, visit
www.deannamasonresearch.org and view the webpage and links. If after viewing the webpage
you decide to participate, just click on the email link embedded in the webpage or send an email
to me directly at deanna@deannamasonresearch.org. I will reply to your email to acknowledge
your interest and clarify any questions or concerns you may have.
After making sure you understand the study, your rights to stop participation at any time
without a negative consequence, and how the email interviews will work, I will send you the first
interview question. The interview will take place in the email account you emailed me from.
There are five questions to the interview. You may be asked more or fewer questions depending
on your answers.
During the interview time, I will ask you to tell me your thoughts about spirituality and
tell me about events that have happened to you. You will choose a fake name for yourself, or I
can choose one for you, and this will be how all your information is labeled; no one but me will
know your response came from you. The copies of our emails will be converted into a new file
and stored in a research software program that can only be accessed by me. I will delete all files
and emails of our conversation of this study a minimum of three (3) years after the study is
completed, as required by law.
WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF THE STUDY?
There may be some minimal risk from being in the study. A risk you may encounter in
this study may be becoming uncomfortable talking about your spirituality because spirituality is
a personal and private matter. However, such risks are not viewed as being in excess of
“minimal risk.”
If, however, you become upset at the questions or you feel uncomfortable at any time,
you may stop our electronic interview or choose not to answer a question. This can be done by
sending an email with your desire to stop participation, not responding to my emails, or just
writing about something different. After two virtual pokes without response, I will not contact
you further.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF THIS STUDY?
You will not benefit personally from being in the study. However, the hope is, in the
future, other people might benefit from this study because a better understanding of youth’s ideas
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and thoughts will be known. This will allow nurses and other health care professionals to better
serve people like you.
WILL IT COST ME ANYTHING TO BE IN THIS STUDY?
You will not have any costs for being in this research study.
WILL I BE PAID FOR PARTICIPATING?
You will not be paid for being in this research study.
WHO IS FUNDING THE STUDY?
This research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (pending). Etc…
CONFIDENTIALITY
The records of this study will be kept private to the extent permitted by law. In any
report about this study that might be published, you will not be identified. Your study record
may be reviewed by Government agencies and the Saint Louis University Institutional Review
Board.
Any information that is obtained in this study and that can be identified with you will
remain confidential and will be disclosed only with your permission or as required by law.
Confidentiality will be maintained by means of applying a pseudonym to your responses,
keeping research data in a biometric secure laptop, backing up research materials in a password
protected external hard drive, and maintaining participant demographic information on a
password protected jump drive file cabinet secured in a locked space.
If I write a report or article about this study, I will describe the study results in a
summarized manner so you cannot be identified.
Since all interviews are sent via email, a copy of my questions and your responses will be
available to you in your sent messages folder. You have the ability to review this information at
any time. If you want to modify an answer, please forward the original email and note the text
you would like modified.
I will finish working with the information you share with me in two years or less. I will
erase the files of our email interviews after a minimum of three (3) years.
IS THIS STUDY VOLUNTARY?
Your participation is voluntary. You may choose not to participate or you may stop your
participation at any time without penalty or loss of benefits to which you are otherwise entitled.
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Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with
any institution including Saint Louis University.
CONTACTS AND QUESTIONS?
The researcher conducting this study is Dr. Deanna Mason, Ph.D. RN CPNP. You may
ask any questions you have now. If you later have questions, concerns, or complaints about the
research please contact Dr. Deanna Mason, Ph.D. RN CPNP at 1-952-955-6657 (local U.S.
phone number) or +34 676.972.608 (local Spanish phone number) or by email at
deanna@deannamasonresearch.org.
If you have any questions regarding your rights as a research subject, or if you have
concerns or complains about the research, you may contact the Saint Louis University
Institutional Review Board at 1-314-977-2029. Please call this number if you cannot reach
research staff, or you wish to talk to someone else.
HOW TO AGREE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STUDY
To indicate that you agree to participate in this study, email me, Dr. Deanna Mason, at
deanna@deannamasonresearch.org and state your desire to participate. I will ask you if you
have any questions about the study and given a brief explanation of how the email interviews
will work. Feel free to ask any questions you have at this time or anytime after. When I have
answered all your questions, we will begin the interview.
An electronic copy of the information form will remain on the research webpage
(www.deannamasonresearch.org) for your review at any time.