Informed Consent
Informed Consent
Project Title: Doctoral Trainees Experiences of Vicarious Trauma within Inpatient Settings: An Exploratory Study
Principal Investigator:
Melissa Neitlich
Doctoral Candidate
Department of Clinical Psychology
Antioch University New England
Email: mneitlich@antioch.edu
Purpose of Research: The goal of this study is to understand the experiences of vicarious trauma among psychology doctoral trainees who have recently worked in an inpatient hospital. For the purpose of this study, vicarious trauma is defined as the cognitive and psychological shift resulting from the pervasive and cumulative impact of working with survivors of trauma. Vicarious trauma includes changes to an individual’s identity, worldview, psychological needs, beliefs, and memory. This project also explores the effects of academic institutional structure, organizational support, and culture on experiences of vicarious trauma in psychology trainees.
Procedures: If you agree to take part in this study, you will be asked to complete a brief screener that assesses for symptoms of vicarious trauma. These questions, including the informed consent, should take around 10-15 minutes of your time. After completing the informed consent and screener questions, you may be contacted to fill out a demographic questionnaire online and to set up a time to participate in a semi-structured interview that will take place over a secure video conferencing platform, using audio with the option for participants to turn on their camera (not required). The interview should take no more than 60-90 minutes of your time. The interview includes questions about your experiences of vicarious trauma as a doctoral student in the inpatient setting, the resources and supports you have found helpful or unhelpful through your doctoral or training program, what it is like to work with patients who have a history of trauma, and your experiences within the unique organizational culture of the training organization (i.e., how does the structure of the organization’s leadership, and sense of community among staff impact your experiences of VT).
Confidentiality: Your information will be kept entirely confidential by the researcher. Neither you nor anyone else taking part in the study will be named or identified in the dissertation in any way. Your name will not appear on the demographic questionnaire or screener for vicarious trauma. Instead, you will be assigned a unique identification number that will be connected to all of your data. Any identifying information will be stored in an encrypted file on a password-protected computer. If you withdraw from the study at any point, your data will not be used and will be deleted from all files immediately. The interview portion of the study will be audio recorded. For your privacy, cameras may remain off, however, should you choose to have your camera on, your video will not be recorded.
Benefits and Risks: While participating in this study may not directly benefit you, the information you provide will add to the literature on psychology doctoral trainees’ experiences of vicarious trauma. There is minimal risk in this study. It is possible that you may experience discomfort or distressing feelings and thoughts related to talking about vicarious trauma. However, such reactions are not expected to exceed typical levels of distress experienced in daily clinical practice or during reflective academic assignments. Mental health resources, breaks, and check-ins will be provided throughout the interview to provide support for you if you feel any symptoms of distress.
Voluntary Participation: Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and you can choose to end your participation at any point. Any incomplete responses will not be used.
Crisis Hotline: The content of this study may lead to discomfort or feelings of distress. Should you require additional support to manage these feelings, text or call 988 for the Crisis Lifeline.
If you have any questions about the study, you may contact Melissa Neitlich via email at mneitlich@antioch.edu. Please put “VT Doctoral Trainee” in the subject line of any email you send.
If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, you may contact Dr. Kevin Lyness, Chair of the Antioch University New England Institutional Review Board at klyness@antioch.edu or 603-283-2149.