Student Researcher:  Emma Black
Research Supervisor: Dr. Helen Mildred and Prof. Marita McCabe

Your Consent
You are invited to take part in this research project. This Plain Language Statement contains detailed information about the research project, and aims to clearly explain the project and its procedures. Please read this Plain Language Statement carefully before you complete the questionnaire.

Purpose and Background
The purpose of this project is to examine how certain personality traits in females may be linked to the presence or absence of certain behaviours (such as disordered eating and self-harming acts). Previous research has shown that traits such as impulsivity and compulsivity may be linked to these behaviours, and this research aims to explore these relationships.

This research is a student project, and will help the researcher Emma Black obtain the DPsych (Clinical) degree. It is hoped that the information gathered will help in understanding these behaviours.

You are invited to participate in this research project. We are seeking females aged 18 years and older, to ensure that you are able to consent to participate in this research. You do not have to engage in self-harm or disordered eating to participate in this project.

Procedures
Participation in this project will involve:

• Completing a questionnaire that will examine personality traits, self-harm, and disordered eating.
• Completing this questionnaire should take about 25- 30 minutes of your time.
• People who complete this questionnaire will be invited to participate in a follow-up questionnaire in approximately one year's time.
• If you are interested in having the results of this study sent to you, you will be asked to provide a contact address for this purpose.

Possible Benefits
Possible benefits include learning more about your personality traits while completing the questionnaire, although this is not guaranteed. There are no direct benefits to participants from completing this survey. Possible benefits for the field of psychology include learning more about what drives self-harming and disordered eating behaviours, which could assist treatment and understanding of these behaviours in the future.

Possible Risks
We do not think you should experience any great inconvenience while completing this questionnaire, as it will be done at your convenience. It is not expected that this study will be stressful or demanding, but if any research question causes you any anxiety, please feel free to withdraw from the study. If you experience any distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 to talk things through. Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you are not from Australia, please contact your local health service or 24 hour support phone line. Such phone numbers are often listed in the front of phone books. Alternatively, you may access these self-help websites: http://dailystrength.org/support/Mental_Health_Addiction/Self-Injury/ or www.helpguide.org/mental/eating_disorder_help_support.htm

Privacy, Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information
Any information obtained in connection with this project that can identify you will remain confidential, and can only be disclosed with your permission, except as required by law. If you complete the questionnaire, I will use the results in my research thesis and possibly in a research publication. These results will be reported completely anonymously, as only group data will be used, and you will not be identified.

This questionnaire is anonymous; however, if you elect to have the results of this research sent to you and/or agree to participate in a follow-up study in one year’s time, a contact address (e-mail or postal) will be recorded for these purposes only. These contact details will be confidential and only able to be accessed by the researchers. Your contact details will be removed from the questionnaire and a code will be given to your data. This will be done to allow a comparison between the initial and follow-up study. Using this code will maintain your confidentiality, as no personal details will be stored with your results. A separate file with your details and the code will be securely stored.

The information obtained from completing the questionnaire will be kept in accordance with the University's regulations, in secure storage at Deakin University for a minimum of six years from the date of publication. All files will be kept on the Deakin University server and will be password protected, with only the researchers able to access the files.

Results of Project
If you are interested in learning the results of this project, you can provide a postal or e-mail address in the appropriate section of the questionnaire. The results and their interpretation will be sent to you directly. There will be a delay in between the time you fill out the questionnaire and when the results will be sent to you, as the information is being collected over an 18-month period.

Further Information or Any Problems
If you require further information or if you have any problems concerning this project, you can contact the research supervisor Dr Helen Mildred on helen.mildred@deakin.edu.au or (03) 9251 7371 (International Ph: +613 9251 7371).

Other Issues
If you have any complaints about any aspect of the project, the way it is being conducted or any questions about your rights as a research participant, then you may contact the Secretary, Deakin University Human Research Ethics Committee, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, VIC 3125. Ph: (03) 9251 7123 (International Ph: +613 9251 7123). E-mail: research-ethics@deakin.edu.au Please quote project number EC 247-2007.

Participation is Voluntary
Participation in any research project is voluntary. If you do not wish to take part you are not obliged to. If you decide to take part and later change your mind, you are free to withdraw from the project at any stage. If you wish to withdraw from the study once you have submitted your questionnaire, you can e-mail the research supervisor. However, unless you have provided your e-mail address (to obtain the study’s results or participate in a follow-up study), you will not be able to withdraw your answers, as the questionnaires are anonymous.

Ethical Guidelines
This project will be carried out according to the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans (June 1999) produced by the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. This statement has been developed to protect the interests of people who agree to participate in human research studies.

The ethical aspects of this research project have been approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Deakin University.

Consent
If you consent to participate in this research, please go on and fill out the questionnaire. Your completion of this questionnaire will be taken as evidence of your consent.

Thankyou,

Emma Black

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