The SWANS Study at York

Student Wellbeing at North England Universities

Participant Information 

We would like to invite you to take part in a research study, but before you decide, please read the following information to understand why the research is being done and what it would involve for you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

If you’ve read the information and are happy to take part then please use the link below to complete the survey.

UPDATE: Published SWANS study data shows how wellbeing changed during the pandemic

Data published from the SWANS study shows how wellbeing varied during the pandemic between different student groups. These important findings raise questions about how to target support effectively. Read the full paper here. 

We will continue to publish more findings based on the 10,000 students from UoY who have completed a survey so far! Thank you to everyone who has helped to achieve this by taking the time to participate. 

What is the purpose of this study? 

This study aims to generate robust information on the scale, nature, and factors associated with the wellbeing of students at the University of York. 

The project also aims to establish a sustainable data-collection structure to allow rapid evaluation of a range of strategies to improve student psychological wellbeing.

Who is doing the study? 

This study is being run by a team of researchers from the Hull York Medical School and the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. The project has been funded through the University of York Office of Philanthropic Partnership and Alumni. 

Why have I been asked to participate?

We are involving students, or people about to become students, at the University of York. 

We can include people who:

Do I have to take part?

No. Taking part is entirely voluntary. It is your choice to decide whether or not you would like to participate. If you decide to not take part then your treatment by the University will not be affected in any way. No one will know that you have not agreed to take part in this study. Even if you take part now, you can withdraw at any time. You do not have to give any reasons.

What will be involved if I take part in this study?

If you decide to take part then you will be invited to complete an electronic survey that asks about your psychological wellbeing as well a few questions about yourself. This should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. 

We would like to follow up on how people are over time so we will ask you if it is okay to contact you in the future to invite you to complete another questionnaire. We will also ask if you would like to be contacted again on occasion about related research that you may be interested in. The aim of this is to develop a platform for high quality future research. If you do not choose to be contacted again then you can still take part in this questionnaire and provide valuable information. 

At the end of this survey there will be the option to complete a one-time survey about people's characteristics. This will allow us to explore how people's characteristics can affect experiences of wellbeing. This section is voluntary and you can still take part in the wellbeing survey even if you do not wish to complete this element of the study. 

Data Linkage

We would like to link other sources of information about participants with their responses to our questionnaires. This will provide a rich dataset to work with and allow in-depth analysis of factors that we think may be linked to psychological wellbeing. This will also make it easier for participants by saving time spent filling in questionnaires themselves. One example could be to look at whether the geographical area where someone lived before studying has an effect on their wellbeing whilst at University. We will not share your psychological wellbeing responses with linked sources.

If you agree to take part in this project then we will explicitly ask you for your consent to conduct data linkage at the end of the survey. If you do not want to take part in the Data Linkage part of the project. More information about this project's Data Linkage can be found here.

What are the advantages of taking part?

All participants can enter a prize draw if they would like to. Participants can win one of 20 vouchers worth up to £50 (10 vouchers worth £50, 10 vouchers worth £25). 

There may not be benefits to you personally but the information you provide will help us to gain valuable knowledge and insight about student wellbeing and to inform the best strategies to improve this. Taking part may also provide some experience in participating in psychological research.

What are the disadvantages/risks of taking part?

You would have to allow time to complete the questionnaires. The psychological wellbeing questionnaires are low-intensity and widely used in the general population. However, some people may find the questions to be distressing. We have included details of help and support at the end of this information in case you are feeling distressed or wish to seek support.

Can I withdraw from the study at any time? 

Yes. You can withdraw from the study at any time and you do not have to give a reason. If you withdraw then we will not contact you again about this project. You can also request for any data that we already have about you to be destroyed if this request is made before the data is published. Withdrawing from this project will not affect your treatment from the University of York.

How will the information and personal data I give be handled?

All information you provide will be kept confidential and not shared outside of the research team. Your survey responses will remain pseudo-anonymous and will therefore only be associated with a unique Participant ID and not your personal details. Your name, student ID, and personal details will be stored separately to the rest of your data. This would allow a member of the research team to destroy data held about you should you request this. 

All data will be collected via password-protected, secure software platforms, and stored on a password-protected, secure computer folder within the Department of Health Sciences at the University of York. Your data will only be accessed by approved members of the research team when there is a reason to access the data.

All data will be processed and stored in compliance with University of York data policy and GDPR laws.

Details of your involvement in this project will not be shared with anyone outside of the project team. If you consent to data linkage then we will share essential information with linked sources in order to obtain information. For example, your student ID or name and date of birth may be shared to obtain the correct record for you. Some linked sources may therefore become aware that you are participating in this project but will not be made aware of any further details of your involvement. We will not share your individual psychological wellbeing responses or other data with anyone. Data obtained from data linkage sources will be anonymised.

Project data will be retained for a minimum of five years after the project has ended. Personal details will be held for up to one year after the study project ends. 

For more information on data protection, please read our Project General Data Protection Regulation Statement. For more information on GDPR compliance, please visit: https://www.york.ac.uk/records-management/dp/

What will happen to the results of the study?

The data that you provide will be anonymised and may be used in the future to identify and explore factors that are associated with psychological wellbeing. The results of the project will be presented at conferences and submitted to a scientific journal for publication. We will also send you a summary of findings. It will not be possible to identify you in reports or publications.

Who has reviewed and approved this study?

The University of York’s Health Sciences Research Governance Committee (HSRGC) has reviewed and approved this study.

Who do I contact for more information about the study?

If you have any queries about this project then please contact a member of the research team:

dohs-wellbeing-study@york.ac.uk

Who do I contact in the event of a complaint?

If you have a complaint about the way you have been dealt with during this project then this will be addressed. Please use the below contacts:

Prof Stephen Holland, Chair of Department of Health Sciences’ Research Ethics Governance Committee, stephen.holland@york.ac.uk 01904 32 3253

Durham Burt, Data Protection Officer, durham.burt@york.ac.uk or dataprotection@york.ac.uk for data protection complaints

Information Commissioner’s Office, www.ico.org.uk/concerns 

Sources of support

If you feel distressed or would like some support then we advise you to seek support using the resources below:

A full list of Help and Support services and resources can be found on the University of York website here: www.york.ac.uk/students/health/help  

If you are in crisis now then call 999 emergency services

Open Doors is a team of professionals providing support to students experiencing psychological or mental health problems and can be contacted on 01904 322 140 or opendoor@york.ac.uk

Samaritans are available round the clock to provide confidential support to anyone who needs it by calling: 116 123 or 01904 655 888

You can discuss concerns with your doctor who can support mental health or wellbeing problems. You can search the NHS website for GP surgeries in your area: www.nhs.uk 

Thank you for taking the time to read this information sheet 

(Version 2.1 10/12/21)

To participate in this project, please follow the link below to the survey. It should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete.