My name is Katie Rosaleen Giles and I am conducting a research project with Professor Marita McCabe, Chair in Psychology at Deakin University, towards a Doctor of Psychology (Health) at Deakin University Australia. I will be preparing a thesis based on the results of this research.

I would like to invite you to participate in this research. If you agree to participate you will be asked to complete the following online questionnaire. The responses that you give to this questionnaire will allow me to examine how a revised model of sexual response may be applied to women’s sexual dysfunction and the extent to which various contributing factors (historical, individual and interpersonal) may be included in a revised model of female sexual dysfunction.

I require information relevant to this research question from women aged between 18 and 65 years of age (if you are not between 18 and 65, please do not complete the questionnaire). You are reminded not to include any personal information that could identify you in your questionnaire responses. Your consent will be indicated by electronically submitting your responses, following completion of the questionnaire, to the researchers’ anonymous database.

The questionnaire will require approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will be asked questions about your sexual feelings and responses, sexual and relationship experiences in your early and current life, and your emotional feelings within the last week. The following are examples of statements and questions to which you will be asked to respond:

Over the past 4 weeks, how would you rate your level (degree) of sexual desire or interest?
Over the past 4 weeks, when you had sexual stimulation or intercourse, how difficult was it for you to reach orgasm (climax)?
Do you remember any upsetting sexual experiences that occurred during childhood?

If the questions about your sexuality, relationship or emotions cause you distress, please do not continue with this study. Contact your General Practitioner for counseling and referral.

You are free to withdraw at any time during the study and you should not complete the questionnaire if you wish to withdraw. If you withdraw, our results will not be included in the results of this research. All aspects of this study, including results, will be strictly confidential and only the researchers will have access to responses from participants. To maintain confidentiality please ensure that you do not attach your name or any other information that could identify you when you provide your completed questionnaire. While the researchers cannot guarantee the complete security of information transmitted through the internet, individual participants will not be identifiable from completion of the anonymous questionnaire.

Your anonymous responses to this questionnaire will be stored within a locked file within the School of Psychology at Deakin University for a minimum of six years. A report of the study may be submitted for publication however, individual participants will not be identifiable in such a report, as only aggregated data will be reported. If you have any further queries please contact my research supervisor, Professor Marita McCabe (martia.mccabe@deakin.edu.au) (+61 3 9244 6856) or myself (kgil@deakin.edu.au). An online summary of the results will be accessible on the website that you accessed the questionnaire from once the research project is completed.