Consent

You are invited to participate in a research study entitled: Assessing the feasibility of determining the social value of service dogs for Canadian veterans/former service members.

Principal Investigator/Researcher: Dr. Linzi Williamson, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Health Studies, University of Saskatchewan, linzi.williamson@usask.ca

Purpose and Objective of the Research: The purpose of this research project is to determine how easy or difficult it could be to conduct a future “social value study” of service dogs for Canadian veterans/former service members with posttraumatic stress injuries (PTSIs), such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We would also like to determine which Canadian service dog organizations may be able to participate in a full social value study in the future. We intend to adopt Social Value International’s (SVI; 2016) approach to “social value” which looks at how change is created for individuals by measuring the potential benefits and drawbacks they experience from participating in a health or social program. This sort of study can be quite a large undertaking, so before we agree to conduct it we want to ensure it is feasible and desired among veteran/former service member and service dog communities.

Procedures: Participants are invited to complete an online questionnaire through Survey Monkey which asks them questions related to the general feasibility as well as their personal ability to participate in a social value of service dogs for Canadian veterans/former service members study. Participants will also be asked demographic questions (e.g., age, gender identity, etc.) so we may describe our sample. The questionnaire should take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete. You will not be asked any identifying information. As such, your completion of the online questionnaire will be anonymous. Please feel free to ask any questions regarding the procedures and goals of the study or your role.

Funded by: This research is funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) and Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) Patient-Oriented Research (POR) Transition to Leadership Fellowship grant held by Dr. Linzi Williamson.

Potential Risks: There are no known or anticipated risks to you by participating in this research. However, some participants may feel uncomfortable considering the social value of service dogs for veterans. Participants are welcome to leave any questions unanswered or to end their participation in the study by closing their web browser. Participants feeling any discomfort as a result of completing the questionnaire may wish to consult a mental health professional, search for mental health professionals through e-MentalHealth.ca (https://www.ementalhealth.ca/Canada/Mental-HealthProfessionals/index.php?m=heading&ID=53), call 811, or contact the researchers (contact information above). There is no deception involved in this study. However, you will be provided a debriefing form at the end outlining the study in more detail.

Potential Benefits: Benefits of participating in this research include contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the role of service dogs for addressing health conditions of Canadian veterans/former service members.
Compensation: Upon completion of the questionnaire, you will be given the chance to enter your name for a draw of a $50 gift card to a local community-based organization of your choosing. You will be directed to a separate questionnaire page that is not connected to any responses you provide in the main questionnaire.

Confidentiality: Participation and all data collected will be anonymous, which means that all research participants’ identities will not be known to anyone, including the researcher. Further, participants will not be asked to disclose identifiable information. This survey is hosted by Survey Monkey. Your data will be stored in facilities hosted in Canada. Please see the following for more information on Survey Monkey’s privacy policy https://www.surveymonkey.com/mp/legal/privacy/

Storage of Data: All data will be stored on Linzi Williamson’s password-protected computer through her password-protected storage drive, and then moved to the University of Saskatchewan’s secure Cabinet on PAWS. Data will be stored a minimum of 5 years post-publication, as per University of Saskatchewan guidelines. After 5 years, the electronic data will be destroyed beyond recovery through the use of Eraser, an advanced security tool for Windows which allows individuals to completely remove sensitive data from their hard drive by overwriting it several time with carefully selected patterns.

Right to Withdraw: Participation in this study is voluntary. You can decide not to participate at any time by closing your browser, or choose not to answer any questions you do not feel comfortable with. Questionnaire responses will remain anonymous. Since the questionnaire is anonymous, once it is submitted the data cannot be selected and removed.

Follow up: To obtain results from the study, please refer to Dr. Williamson’s research lab website pawsitiveconnectionslab.com. Results should be available by late Fall 2024.

Questions or Concerns: Contact the researcher(s) using the information at the top of page 1. This research project has been approved on ethical grounds by the University of Saskatchewan Behavioural Research Ethics Board. Any questions regarding your rights as a participant may be addressed to that committee through the Research Ethics Office: ethics.office@usask.ca; 306-966-2975; out of town participants may call toll free 1-888-966-2975.

By completing and submitting this questionnaire, your free and informed consent is implied and indicates that you understand the above conditions of participation in this study.

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