Invitation to participate
You are invited to participate in the online survey about gaming and gambling behaviours. If you have not played any video games at all in the past 12 months you will not be eligible to participate. This participant information sheet contains information about the research project. The purpose of this information sheet is to explain to you the procedures involved in this study so you can make a fully informed decision as to whether you wish to participate. Please read this information sheet carefully, and if you have any questions, please refer to the below contact information for ways to contact the researcher team responsible for this project.
What are the aims of the study?
Gaming has become increasingly popular and accessible, and we wish to better understand what factors may relate to different patterns of gaming behaviours. The aims of this study are the following: firstly, to investigate the nature of the relationship between mental health states, well-being and gaming behaviours; secondly, to examine the relationship between gaming and gambling behaviours, including the impact of various psychological, social, and cognitive factors on this relationship; thirdly, to investigate the nature of the relationship between gaming behaviours and physical health.
Who is running the study?
This study will be conducted by Ms. Tegan Lumsden and Mr. Samuel Moore in partial fulfillment of their Honours degree in Psychological Science at the University of Tasmania (UTAS). Their project supervisors are Dr. Halley Pontes and Dr. Jason Satel.
What is involved?
This study will be conducted through an online survey, in which you will be asked to answer some questions about yourself and factors regarding your perceived mental health, well-being and gaming behaviours. Before starting the survey, you must read this information and provide your consent to participate in the survey should you wish to participate. The survey will collect basic and anonymised sociodemographic information, information about your gaming behaviours, and perceived mental health and well being. An example of a question includes “I play video games because gaming helps me get into a better mood”, to which you would respond with the answer that best applies to you, from ‘almost never’ to ‘always’. You can take as long as you require to complete the survey, although we anticipate it will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. All questions should be answered as truthfully as possible, and your answers will be kept entirely anonymous and confidential. Once you have completed the survey, you will be debriefed and thanked for your participation. If you are a UTAS student completing the survey through SONA, you will receive research credit for your participation. If you are completing the survey through Prolific, you will receive a fair financial reward for your time.
