TOWARD AN EMPATHETIC UNDERSTANDING OF BPD (GU ref no: 2019/475)
INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS (QUESTIONNAIRE STAGE)
About the project
This project seeks to document the lives of people who have been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It seeks to explore the effects the disorder and the diagnosis itself has on individuals, and to what extent manifestations of the disorder can be seen in the subjects’ daily lives. Importantly, this project aims to be highly collaborative in nature, with people with BPD and their clinicians and loved ones working with the research team to find ways to tell their stories and experiences in their own words. It also aims to ultimately broaden the knowledge base and understanding of the lived experience of people with Borderline Personality Disorder and to challenge the stigma that exists around the disorder, particularly in clinical settings.
Your participation
This stage of the project involves evaluating the impact that viewing the short documentary films produced about people with BPD has on attitudes towards people with BPD among members of the general public.
· Clicking on the provided link, you will be taken to an online questionnaire. No identifiable information will be collected.
· You will then be asked to fill in a short questionnaire in response to a vignette about a patient with BPD. You will also be asked about your experience of BPD in both personal and professional settings in the questionnaire.
· You will then view three short documentary films (13min, 9min and 18min in duration) made in collaboration with people with BPD about their lived experience with the disorder.
· After viewing the films, you will fill in the same questionnaire that you had completed prior to the viewing. This will allow evaluation of the immediate impact viewing the films has had on you.
· The total time commitment will not exceed 90 minutes.
Why this research is being conducted:
This project seeks through observation and documentation to investigate the lived experience of people diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and those affected by it, and to challenge stigma around BPD. Through my experience and investigation, it is apparent that there currently exists a stigma around mental illness in general in Australia. Beyond that, there also exists discrimination and stigmatisation specifically of people with Borderline Personality Disorder, even among some clinicians within the medical and mental health care community, which brings additional challenges to those with Borderline Personality Disorder who seek help. While there is much research on the clinical criteria that defines Borderline Personality Disorder, there is far less that examines how those diagnosed with the disorder navigate their daily lives and the challenges it raises. Deeper understanding of the human side of the disorder may help reduce the stigma that surrounds BPD. This research will be archived and available for future researchers to build on.
The basis by which participants will be selected:
As this project is interested in understanding knowledge and attitudes of the general public as well as that of clinicians, along with the effects of viewing short collaborative documentaries, this questionnaire is open to all members of the public over 18 years of age.
The expected outcomes of this project:
The outcomes sought are a small collection of documentary films that can be utililised to supplement education on BPD and anti-stigma interventions for practicing and training clinicians.
Risk to the participants:
There is negligible risk to you for participating in this stage of the project. None of your identifiable information will be collected. All information collected will be stored securely on password-protected hard drives.
Should you become concerned with any component of this research please feel free to discuss this with the chief investigator Associate Professor Peter Hegedus by emailing p.hegedus@griffith.edu.au or contact co-investigator Dr Mark Boschen by emailing M.Boschen@griffith.edu.au.
Participation is voluntary:
Participation in this project is voluntary and there are no direct benefits for you. You can withdraw your consent without having to explain your reasons. This can be done at any time until the end of the screening and questionnaire session.
Questions/further information:
If you have any questions you can contact me, Adam Young, without any hesitation via phone or email (see contact details above).
The ethical conduct of this research:
This project has been granted ethical clearance by Griffith University's Human Research Ethics Committee (GU ref. 2019/475). Griffith University conducts research in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the research project please contact the Senior Manager, Research Ethics and Integrity on 37354375
or research-ethics@griffith.edu.au.
Privacy Statement:
The conduct of this research does not involve the collection, access and/or use of your identified personal information. Your anonymity will always be safeguarded, except where you have consented otherwise. For further information consult the University’s Privacy Plan at http://www.griffith.edu.au/privacy-plan or telephone (07) 3735 4375