Letter of Information and Consent
Choosing/Preference for Solo Sex (or No Sex) Over Partnered Sex: The reasons men and women give to explain the decline in partnered sexual activity.
Principal Investigator:
Petra Zebroff, Ph.D.
Nurturing Humanity Research Institute
1125 Howe St. Vancouver, BC
Email address: pzebroff@gmail.com
Contact Number: 778 858 2306
Co-Investigator:
Darien Thira, Ph.D.
Adler University, Vancouver, BC
Email address: darien@thira.ca
Contact Number: 604-822-9230
INVITATION
You are invited to participate in a research study conducted by Nurturing Humanity Research Institute, directed by Dr. Petra Zebroff. The study will include 2,500 participants of men and women from the general population.
You are being invited because your participation will help scientists understand how men and women decide to engage in either individual, or partnered sex.
An online questionnaire will take approx 10 – 15 minutes and will ask questions about your sexual experiences and preferences. All questions are available to read before you complete the form. If you have any questions about the study or the questionnaire, a research associate will be available to answer any questions you might have before or after completion.
YOUR PARTICIPATION IS VOLUNTARY
Your participation is voluntary. This consent form describes the procedures that are being carried out for research purposes. Please review the consent document carefully when deciding whether or not you wish to be part of the research and hit the consent button only if you accept being a research participant. You have the right to refuse to participate in this study. If you decide to participate, you may still choose to withdraw from the study at any time without any negative consequences to the education, or other services to which you are entitled or are presently receiving.
Please take time to read the following information carefully and to discuss it with your family, friends, and/or doctor before you decide.
WHO IS CONDUCTING THE STUDY?
This study is being conducted by Dr. Petra Zebroff a director of Nurturing Humanity a Research Institute and Dr. Darien Thira of Adler University. This study is funded by Nurturing Humanity Research Institute.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
Sexual behavior is beneficial for many reasons. Positive aspects of sexuality include an increase in sexual and relationship satisfaction, health and overall well-being. But data shows that partnered sexual activities are decreasing in all populations, and even more so in younger people. If people have less partnered sex, they are missing out on the benefits, which include relational health such as intimacy, relationship length, commitment, agency communication, psychological connection, feeling pleasure is prioritized in partner and individual, familiarity with one’s body and response.
Some reasons for this decline have been attributed to screen technologies, increase in mood disorders, and fewer relationships. Theories have proposed to explain the decision to either have sex with a partner or on your own, which is based on a cost/benefit analysis, evaluated the cost compared with the benefit you imagine you receive from each encounter. While past research has studied the benefits of partnered sex and the prohibitions against solo sex, there is a dearth of understanding of what factors are involved in making the decision between the two.
Understanding this decision can help support the efforts to promote sexual health, sexual rights and aids clinicians in helping clients to get satisfied sex lives, and develop sexual education programs for adolescents and adults in advanced age.
We are inviting you to participate in this research study because: 1) You are a sexually active adult (either solo or/and partnered sex) adult; and 2) we are testing the reasons individuals have a preference for solo or partnered sex; and 3) if these are different for men and women of different generations.
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY:
The aim of this study is to understand the reasons individuals choose solo versus partnered sex 1) what these reasons are, 2) whether reasons are different for men and women in different generations, and 3) the factors associated with these differences.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
You will be considered for this study if you: 1) are 19+ years of age, and 2) speak english.
WHO SHOULD NOT PARTICIPATE?
You should not participate in the study if you 1) are under the age of 19, and/or 2)
WHAT DOES THE STUDY INVOLVE?
Your participation in this study involves the following completing a questionnaire which includes questions asking demographic, sexual frequency, sexual preferences and belief information.
Participation in this study will take about 10 – 15 minutes
The range in number of questions is 23 – 26, depending on the answers you give to certain questions, you may be asked to fill in more questions.
COST AND COMPENSATION
You will receive the results of your initiation style free of charge. No other compensation is offered.
This study may help you to gain a deeper understanding of your sexuality, and other aspects of sexuality. You may also benefit from a greater understanding of your own preferences as well as perspective on common reasons others may prefer partnered or solo sexuality and the factors that are associated with these preferences and activities.
RISKS OF PARTICIPATION
There are minimal disadvantages from taking part in this research study, mainly the time it takes to complete the questionnaire. Many of the questions asked on the surveys are personal as they relate to sexuality. We recognize that some of these questions are sensitive and personal and may also bring up some strong emotions. Your responses to all questions are confidential. You do not have to answer a question if you do not want to.
You may withdraw from this study at any time without any consequence, by simply not completing the questionnaire or by notifying the study coordinator. If you feel distressed, you are encouraged to contact your family physician or mental health professional. We will also provide you with a list of online resources upon your request.
CONFIDENTIALITY AND PARTICIPANT RIGHTS
Your confidentiality will be respected. We do not collect your name or require any personally identifying information. Your email may be collected for the purposes of sending your initiation results to you, or offering you the option to send the link of the questionnaire to another person (such as a partner), however both are completely voluntary and optional.
You will be assigned a unique study number as a participant in this study. This number does not include any personal information that could identify you. Only this number will be used on any research-related information collected about you during the course of this study. Your identity as a subject in this study will be kept confidential.
Your rights to privacy are legally protected by federal and provincial laws that require safeguards to ensure that your privacy is respected and give you the right of access to the information about you and, if need be, an opportunity to correct any errors in this information. Further details about these laws are available on request to your study coordinator.
Data will be stored securely in locked files and on approved servers and will only be available to the investigators and research assistants involved in this project. The questionnaire data are being collected using Alchemer Software. Questionnaire data will be stored in Alchemer data center. Only the study coordinator, Principal Investigator, Co-Investigator will have access to study data. All data relating to this study will be deleted (i.e., paper documents will be shredded, electronic files will be deleted) 5 years after the publication of manuscripts resulting from this research.
Your participation in this study is completely voluntary. You may withdraw from participating in the study at any time without any consequence, by notifying the research staff.
Termination of your Participation in the Study
Your anonymous research data may be published or deposited into a publicly accessible location at the time of publication. This data could include online questionnaire responses. At no time will identifying information, such as your name be included in such data. This means that other researchers may analyze the data for different reasons other than those described in this consent form. Once the data is made publicly available, you will not be able to withdraw your data. The extent of the risk of you being identified through public data is unknown, but currently appears to be low.
CONTACT FOR COMPLAINTS
If you have any concerns or complaints about your rights as a research participant and/or your experiences while participating in this study, contact the primary investigator, Dr. Petra Zebroff at info@artofconnection.ca, or Dr. Darien Thira at darien@thira.ca
You may also contact the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute who monitors research in this area: Tel: 604-875-4372, email: research@vch.ca