Resilience in Heath Care Professions: Does the Stress Shield Model Fit?

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION SHEET

1. Invitation

You are invited to participate in a research study examining the resilience of persons working in healthcare professions. This study is being conducted as part of an Honours degree in Psychology by Maisey Fraser-Easton, under the supervision of Professor Kimberley Norris within the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Tasmania.

2. What is the purpose of this study?

The purpose of this study is to investigate the individual, workplace, and organisational elements predicting resilience in health care professions. The outcomes from this study are anticipated to increase understandings of the individual and workplace factors that foster psychological wellbeing and resilience within healthcare professionals. This study may also inform future workplace practices and interventions to support these individuals.

3. Why have I been invited to participate?

You are eligible to participate in this study because you are over 18 years of age, currently reside in Australia and work in a healthcare profession. This includes physicians, nurses, psychologists, psychiatrists, medical professionals, dentists, counsellors and paramedics.

Participation in this study is voluntary. There will be no consequences if you decide not to participate.

4. What will I be asked to do?

You will be asked to complete an online survey investigating individual traits, coping styles, workplace cohesiveness, job demands and resources, job satisfaction, personal growth, and resilience. The survey will also ask some general demographic questions about yourself and your occupation. It is estimated to take between 45-60 minutes. You will be requested to provide participation consent prior to commencing the survey. Your submission of the survey will imply consent.

Following the completion of the survey, you will be invited to enter the draw to receive one of six $50 Coles/Myer gift vouchers. Please follow the link at the end of the survey to enter your details if you wish to enter this prize draw.

5. Are there any possible benefits from participation in this study?

This study will ask that you reflect on your experiences as a health care professional. Such reflection provides an opportunity for you to gain insight into your own wellbeing, coping strategies and processes. There are however no direct benefits to you from your individual participation.

6. Are there any possible risks from participation in this study?

The survey will include questions regarding your past experiences while performing duties within the healthcare workplace. We acknowledge some events in the workplace can be negative and recalling of such experiences may cause discomfort or distress. If at any time you experience discomfort while completing the survey, please remember your participation is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time before submission of the survey, simply by closing the browser window. Any participant who chooses to exit the survey without submitting their responses can be reassured that their data will not be used in the analysing of results or contribute to the final reporting of this study.

Should you experience discomfort or distress, please contact ay of the following resources:

• A Mental Health Professional or local General Practitioner (GP). A GP will be able to assist in referring you to a Mental Health Professional if you do not have access to one. 
• Please feel free to contact the Chief Investigator, Professor Kimberley Norris, via the information below.

Resources in Australia

• Lifeline Australia are available for crisis support 24/7 via telephone on 13 11 14. They can also be contacted 7 days a week via text on 0477 13 11 14 from 6pm to midnight, and via online chat or their website between 7pm and midnight at www.lifeline.org.au/get-help/online-services/crisis-chat
• Beyond Blue are available for support 24/7 via telephone on 1300 224 636. They can also be contacted via online chat on their website https://www.beyondblue.org.au/support-service/chat
• The Suicide Call Back Service is also available 24/7 via telephone 1300 659 467

7. What if I change my mind during or after the study?

You are free to withdraw from this study at any time without consequence or explanation. If you wish to cease participation, exit the survey by closing the browser window before submitting your responses and your data will not be collected or used for any analyses or to inform final reporting in this study.

Please note, once you have submitted the survey your responses cannot be withdrawn. Due to the de-identification of your data, it will not be possible to identify your data for removal.

8. What will happen to the data when this study is over?

The data collected form this study will be de-identified and held securely in the University of Tasmania on password-protected cloud storage. Only researchers involved with this study will have access to the data. Your confidentiality and anonymity will be maintained should data from this study be used in future research.

9. How will the results of the study be published?

Findings from this study will be included in the student’s thesis as part of an Honours degree in Psychology. A summary of results will be provided to your organisation via email and social media where the study was originally advertised. No personally identifiable information will be included in the results. As data will be de-identified, individual feedback will not be possible. If you would like to receive a copy of results directly or discuss the results in further detail, please contact the Chief Investigator via email (kimberley.norris@utas.edu.au)

10. What if I have questions about this study?

If you have any concerns or would like to discuss this study further, please feel free to contact the following:

• Professor Kimberley Norris, Chief Investigator: Kimberley.Norris@utas.edu.au

This study has been approved by the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC). If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, you can contact the Executive Officer of the HREC on +61 3 6226 6254 or email human.ethics@utas.edu.au. The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. You will need to quote H0028821.

This is an anonymous survey. Your completion and submission of the survey will imply consent.

Thank you for your participation in this study.

SURVEY TERMS AND CONDITIONS

UNIVERSITY OF TASMANIA HUMAN RESEARCH ETHICS COMMITTEE (HREC)

Terms & Conditions

1. These terms and conditions are an agreement between you as an entrant of our competition (you) and University of Tasmania (ABN 30 764 374 782) (UTAS, we, us). By entering into and participating in the competition, you agree to these terms and conditions.
2. Subject to these terms and conditions, entry into the promotion is free and open to Australian residents, aged 18 years or older.
3. You have the opportunity to receive 1 of 6 $50.00 giftcards which are not able to be exchanged for cash.
4. The competition commences on 9am 23 June 2023 and closes on midnight August 30, 2023.
5. Winners will be randomly selected from all eligible entrants by lucky dip on September 13 2023 at approximately 1pm AEST.
6. All winners will be contacted by their nominated email address by September 20, 2023.
7. Prizes will be sent to the winner’s nominated postal/email address.
8. By entering the competition, you release UTAS and Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn from and against any and all claims, liability, demands, losses or expenses with respect to or arising out of this competition.
9. This competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
10. Personal information provided in entries will be dealt with in accordance with our privacy policy, a copy of which can be found at www.utas.edu.au/privacy.
11. The laws of Tasmania apply to this promotion to the exclusion of any other law. Entrants and prize recipients must submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Tasmania.