Title: Development and Validation of a LGBTQIA+ Psychological Safety Scale

Participant Information Sheet/Consent Form

Chief Investigator: Dr James Williams 

Student Investigator: Elizabeth O'Halloran

The purpose of this survey

In this study, we aim to develop and validate a scale to measure psychological safety specifically tailored for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender-diverse (LGBTQIA+) individuals. Establishing a comprehensive measure of psychological safety within the LGBTQIA+ community is crucial because it allows us to accurately assess the unique challenges and needs faced by people within the community. This measure will be important for researchers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers in helping to identify and address factors that contribute to wellbeing for LGBTQIA+ individuals. This study is being conducted by Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. This study is looking for adult (18+) participants from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who identify as belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community.

What does the survey involve?
All of the questions require you to read the question instructions and simply choose the response that best represents your view. The questions are related to feelings of psychological safety, minority stress, sense of community, feelings of social support, and feelings of hypervigilance.

What is the time commitment?
The survey takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

Funding arrangements
This project has not been funded

Will all data provided be confidential?
This survey is completely anonymous. Participation in this study is voluntary. By proceeding to the next page, you are providing your consent to participate in the study. Your responses will be saved and stored on a secure server that is password protected. You are free to withdraw at any time without explanation by quitting your browser before you complete the study. However, the online platform Qualtrics, which gathers the data, will record responses in any uncompleted surveys. These data are non-identifiable and so cannot be deleted by the researchers and therefore will be included in the final research data set. At the conclusion of data collection, your data will be stored on password-protected servers at Swinburne University of Technology. De-identified data will also be shared in a data repository called the Open Science Foundation (OSF). The OSF data file will be available for future researchers interested in exploring the variables measured in this study. At the end of the survey, there will be an option to leave your email address if you wish to participate in future studies, but your email address will be stored on a separate survey and cannot be linked to your response here.

How will the data be used?
The results of this research project are anticipated to be published and/or presented in various forums. The data will also be used by the student investigator in their thesis, submitted as part of the Graduate Diploma of Psychology (Advanced). Any publication, presentation, or sharing of data will be done in a way that ensures your anonymity. During data collection, the information will be hosted on the Qualtrics online data collection platform. At the conclusion of data collection, your data will be stored on password-protected servers at Swinburne University of Technology. De-identified data will also be shared in a data repository called the Open Science Foundation (OSF). The OSF data file will be available for future researchers interested in exploring the variables measured in this study.

Questions about the study?
If you have any questions regarding the project at any stage, or are interested in the results of the survey please contact:
Dr James Williams
Swinburne University
+61 3 9214 3899
jwilliams@swin.edu.au

This project has been approved by Swinburne University of Technology’s Human Research Ethics Committees in line with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research.

If you have any concerns or complaints about the conduct of this project, you can contact:

Research Ethics Officer
Swinburne University of Technology
PO Box 218 Hawthorn VIC 3122
+61 3 9214 5218
resethics@swin.edu.au


If you consent and would like to participate in this survey, please press the NEXT button below.