Dear participant,
thank you for your interest in this online survey. I am a queer psychology student at the University of Cologne and I am conducting this research as part of my master thesis. The purpose of this study is to learn more about how different LGBTIQ+ individuals react to a possibly discriminating situation and which cognitive processes and personal resources might cause different emotions and behaviours to emerge.
Procedure: All LGBTIQ+ individuals aged 18 years and above are invited to participate in this study. Any gender or sexual minority is invited to participate. Individuals who are both straight and cisgender are not eligible to take part in this study. (The term cisgender describes a person who completely identifies with the gender they were assigned at birth.)
This survey can be completed on any electronic device with internet access. After answering a few questions on general demographic information, you will be prompted to recall and shortly describe a past experience of your choosing. The rest of the study consists of single choice questions. Overall, the survey takes around 15-20 minutes to complete. I am thankful for everyone who is willing to share their personal experiences with me.
Participating in this study is completely voluntary. You may withdraw your participation at any point during the survey by simply closing the tab in your browser without further explanation or consequences. Any data collected up to that point will be discarded.
Confidentiality & data security: The survey is completely anonymous. There will be no personally identifying information collected and none of the answers can be traced back to any individual person. Data will be stored locally and password encrypted; only the researcher themself will have access to it. The data is collected and processed for scientific research exclusively. All of the information will be used for group-based analyses, meaning that questionnaires will not be analysed individually but will be pooled together with a large number of responses from other participants. Please note that due to the data being collected anonymously, it will be logistically impossible to remove your individual dataset once you have completed the whole survey. In line with good scientific practice, all data will be deleted after a legal retention period of 10 years.
Benefits & risks: The present research question has valuable implications for strengthening coping strategies when dealing with stigma in everyday life. By unveiling the cognitive processes taking place when faced with a possibly discriminating experience, we can understand why individuals might be more or less affected by this situation. This opens up possibilities for bolstering relevant personal resources of those who might be more vulnerable, which is especially important when avoiding stigma entirely is difficult in our current time.
There is a potential risk that recalling a past life experience may bring up uncomfortable memories and negative feelings (e.g. sadness or anger). Please know that you don’t have to answer any questions that make you feel uncomfortable, that you can withdraw your participation at any time, and that you can contact the researcher about any concerns you might have as a result of participating in this research. If you feel the need to talk about any emotional discomfort immediately, please reach out to a support service in your country. Safe In Our World (https://safeinourworld.org/find-help/) offers a search engine for mental health services in many countries that you can turn to if necessary.
Contact: If you have any questions or concerns regarding this survey, you can contact Remi Albrecht at ralbrec3@smail.uni-koeln.de.
Statement of Consent:
- I have read and understand what this study is about, including the risks and benefits.
- I certify that I am 18 years old or older.
- I agree that as part of this study my data will be collected and processed anonymously.
- I undertstand that my participation is completely voluntary and that I can withdraw at any time without explanation and consequences. I know that this leads to the deletion of my data up until that point. I agree that once I have completed the survey, I can no longer request my dataset to be removed from the study.
By clicking the “Next” button to enter the survey, I indicate my willingness to voluntarily take part in this study.
