Appendix D: Consent Form

GWYNEDD MERCY UNIVERSITY

Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania

Title of Study: Mental Impact of being a Police Officer, and why many are afraid to seek help

Principal Investigator: Thomas Ford

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Lorraine Phillips

Study Contact telephone number: 347-276-1893

Study Contact Email: Phillips.l@gmercyu.edu

What are some general things you should know about research studies?

You are being asked to take part in a research study. To join the study is voluntary. You may refuse to join, or you may withdraw your consent to be in the study, for any reason, at any time, without penalty.

Research studies are designed to obtain new knowledge. This new information may help people in the future. You may not receive any direct benefit from being in the research study. There also may be risks to being in research studies.

Details about this study are discussed below. It is important that you understand this information so that you can make an informed choice about being in this research study.

 You should ask the study contact person (Dr. Phillips), any questions you have about this study at any time.

What is the purpose of this study?

The purpose of this study is to determine if being a police officer is correlated with stress and to figure out why many police officers aren’t receiving mental health services.

Are there any reasons you should not be in this study?

You should not partake in this study if you are under the age of 18, are not currently a police officer, or if you have not been a police officer in the past.

How many people will take part in this study?

If you decide to be in this study, you will be one of approximately 100 people in the research study.

How long will your part in this study last?

This study is comprised of 27 questions that take approximately 12 – 15 minutes to complete.

What will happen if you take part in this study?

If you take part in this study, you will be asked a series of questions that are broken into multiple choice, yes and no questions, open ended, and your level of agreeability to specific statements. These questions are targeted specifically to police officers to measure the amount of stress they have experienced from being a law enforcement officer, what factors may increase or reduce their stress, and their thoughts on if receiving mental health services would be beneficial to officers. The answers you provide will be evaluated as a whole with the rest of the participants. Your answers will be entirely anonymous and will not be linked to you. You may skip any questions and/or stop taking the survey at any time.

What are the possible risks or discomforts involved from being in this study?

In this study, it is asked of the participants to reflect on what in their career has led to levels of stress for them. Doing this may cause participants to flash back to experiences that were traumatic and cause them to relive this. This could be specifically triggering to those that have histories of PTSD. If you feel uncomfortable at any point during the survey, you are free to withdraw at any point. Even further, should you need additional help please contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. There may be uncommon or previously unknown risks. You should report any problems encountered to the researcher.

How will your privacy be protected?

Participants will not be identified in any report or publication about this study. Although every effort will be made to keep research records private, there may be times when federal or state law requires the disclosure of such records, including personal information. This is very unlikely, but if disclosure is ever required, Gwynedd Mercy University will take steps allowable by law to protect the privacy of personal information. In some cases, your information in this research study could be reviewed by representatives of the University, research sponsors, or government agencies for purposes such as quality control or safety.

Will you receive anything for being in this study?

You will not receive anything for taking part in this study.

Will it cost you anything to be in this study?

There will be no costs for being in this study.

What if you have questions about this study?

You have the right to ask and have answered, any questions you may have about this research. If you have questions or concerns, you should contact the researchers listed on the first page of this form.

Participant's Agreement