I'm posting the below on behalf of my colleague at the University of Tasmania, A/Prof Raimondo Bruno
Our team at UTAS have been building tools to help people that are seeking treatment for their drug use. As part of this, we need pictures that match the sorts of things that you would see when you’re using methamphetamine – because the quicker these pictures catch your eye the more vulnerable you are to relapse. We’ve worked with people with lived experience to make some pictures, and now we need to know if they’re any good or not. We are looking for people that use amphetamine/methamphetamine (and are NOT in treatment) to look at the images we’ve made and rate how typical they are and how they make you feel.
There’s 60 pictures to rate and a handful of questions about your age, gender and methamphetamine use. You don’t need to do any writing, and you can do it all on your phone, tablet or computer. It should take about 15-20 minutes and we will provide a $15 Giftpay voucher for your time – these can be used at Bunnings, Coles, EB Games, Kmart, Myer, Optus, Playstation, Supercheap Auto, Woolworths, Xbox live and about 100 other places – the only info needed is an email address. See giftpay.com.au
To do the study or find out more, please click here!
This research has been approved by the Tasmanian Human Research Ethics Committee, application 30581.
Invitation
This is an independent study conducted by Associate Professor Raimondo Bruno, in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Tasmania. Other researchers involved in the study include Maria Bravo as part of her PhD studies and Sophie Williams as part of her research for the degree of Honours in Psychological Science. The team also includes Matthew Gretton who is our programmer.
1. What is the purpose of this study?
We have been building a package of brain games and practical strategies that we think will help people get better results if they are seeking treatment for their drug use. One of the things we know from research is that as people become more dependent on a drug, their brain adapts so that they are very sensitive and quick to notice anything in the environment that relates to their drug use (e.g. drug packets, syringes, etc). Multiple studies across the world have demonstrated that the quicker your attention is grabbed by these sorts of things, the greater your risk of relapse when you are trying to stop using. We’re currently building a test of this sort of attention for people who use methamphetamine, along with a bunch of strategies that people can use to help them take back control over these issues. To start with, we need to get a set of images that make sense to people who use methamphetamine in Australia. These will be the images that we will use in the tests. We’ve worked with people who are currently using methamphetamines to make some images, but we need to make sure that they work.
So we need to see how a group of people who use methamphetamines rate these images, and how a group of people who have never used methamphetamine rates these images. We want to rate these images on how they make you feel (happy or unhappy; calm or excited); whether they give you an urge to use methamphetamine; and whether these are typical things that you might see if you were a person that currently uses methamphetamine.
Once we know whether these work, we will make these images freely available for other researchers and for people working in drug and alcohol treatment settings to use.
2. Why have I been invited to participate?
You have been invited to take part because you are either:
- An Australian adult who currently uses methamphetamine and are not in drug treatment for methamphetamine use
It is entirely up to if you want to take part, and it is absolutely OK if you start and decide to change your mind at any stage.
3. What will I be asked to do?
The study involves completing a web-based survey. You can complete this on your phone, tablet or computer at a time that suits you. Here are the specific things in the survey:
- You’ll be asked about your current level of craving for methamphetamine
- You’ll be shown an image and asked to rate, out of 10
o How it makes you feel (how happy or unhappy)
o How calm or excited it makes you
o How much it makes you want to use methamphetamine
o How typical the image would be if you were actively using methamphetamine (only if you’re a person that is using methamphetamine!)
- There are 60 images to rate in total, and half of them relate to methamphetamine (the others are all about food)
- There are also questions about:
o What device you completed the survey on
o Your age (years), gender, and state/territory that you live in
o How often you have used, on average, in the last year
o How you use it (injecting, smoking, snorting etc)
We think this will take about 15-20 minutes to do. You don’t need to do any writing.
It is important to know that it is completely up to you whether you wish to complete the full survey, only complete some parts, or not complete the survey at all. It is okay to only complete the parts of the study that you feel comfortable to do.
4. Are there any possible benefits from participation in this study?
The main benefit from taking part in this study is contributing to science and ensuring that the picture set we developed makes sense. We hope to use information we get from this study to improve current drug treatment tools to benefit people who are seeking treatment for their use. We believe that treatment services regarding people who use methamphetamine are improved when informed by research that draws on the insight and expertise of people who use methamphetamine personally themselves.
We appreciate your time in participating in this study, and we are able to provide reimbursement of $15 Giftpay gift voucher for taking part (pro-rata based on how much you complete). The vouchers can be used at Bunnings, Coles, EB Games, Kmart, Myer, Optus, Playstation, Supercheap Auto, Woolworths, Xbox live and about 100 other places – the only info needed is an email address.
5. Are there any possible risks from participation in this study?
The images involve syringes, pipes, and male and female models in various stages of getting ready to use methamphetamine. If you’re a person who currently uses methamphetamine, it is possible that you may experience some craving from viewing them. If you’re a person who has never used methamphetamine, it is possible that you might find these images a little uncomfortable. In either case, if you do not feel comfortable, you can choose to take a break, skip a question or stop the survey early if needed. At the end of the survey, you will be provided with contact information for substance use support and treatment services.
We will not ask of any information that could identify you as a participant in this study.
We have a number of steps in place to protect your confidentiality.
There are some circumstances in which researchers are legally compelled to provide information or evidence about the use of illicit drugs. However, we do not expect that any information provided to us in this study will trigger any reporting requirements. The information that you provide during the course of this research is not identifiable (i.e., no names etc), so there is nothing that the researchers would be able to report on about any specific individual taking part in the study.
To maintain your confidentiality, the survey is hosted on a University of Tasmania server, and data are stored on University of Tasmania servers. Bank-grade encryption is used for survey submission and no IP addresses are recorded. You are able to decline any answers that you so wish, and if you get part way through the survey and decide not to continue, you can close the survey on your computer.
Should you wish to enter the prize draw, you will be invited to submit an email address to a separate survey. You do not need to participate in the prize draw in order to take part in the study. You will enter your email address via a separate survey at the end. In this way, even your email cannot be linked with survey responses.
6. What if I change my mind during or after the study?
Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. It is completely up to you if you wish to participate or not. If at any stage, during or after the study, you change your mind it is completely fine to stop immediately and withdraw. You can stop participation without consequence or needing to provide any reason. This will not affect your relationship with the University of Tasmania in any way, and will not affect your current or future relations with the Needle and Syringe Program or Prolific Academic.If you decide that you no longer want to be part of the study, we will still provide reimbursement based on the time you spent on the task prior to withdrawing participation.
7. What will happen to the information when this study is over?
All information will be kept confidential and non-identifiable. We don’t ask any questions that can specifically identify you (birthdates, names, etc). It is possible that if you looked at the records of the study and there was only one person that matched your specific age and gender, then you would be able to identify your own record in the data, but if a person did not know that you took part, there is no way that you could be identified by the questions that we ask.
Information collected from this study will only be accessible to, and viewed by, the research team. All data collected will be stored on a secure password protected database which will be kept secure for a period of five years, after which all information will be destroyed.
Our research group are supporters of the principles of Open Science. Some of these principles involve making sure that research results are available to others, so they can be used in other studies to speed up new discoveries. Another benefit of Open Science is that other people can audit our data (and make sure that we haven’t made any mistakes in the way it is reported). We feel that this is an important part of science. We would like to make the non-identifiable data from your responses available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/). The data and all the materials from the study will be stored on this website, and other researchers may request access to the non-identified data from this study. The only data that will be included on the site is the responses you make to the surveys. Access is audited and under password protection. All of our studies will be available under the Drug Use at UTAS (DRUGLAB) page on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/nps6y/). You will be given the option to opt in or opt out of this.
8. How will the results of the study be published?
The findings of this study will be reported in an Honours thesis, published in a scientific journal and may be presented at scientific conference presentations. Group analyses will be the only results reported in any publication which means as a participant your participation will be kept completely confidential and no identifying information will be used.
A summary of the results will be made publicly available on the Drug Use at UTAS (DRUGLAB) page on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/nps6y/).
You can also contact Raimondo Bruno directly here for copies of results: [email protected]
9. What if I have questions about this study?
If you have any questions about the study, you can contact Raimondo Bruno at 03 6226 2240 or [email protected]
This study has been approved by the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, you can contact the Executive Officer of the HREC (Tasmania) Network on (03) 6226 6254 or email [email protected]. The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. You will need to quote H30851
Thank you for considering participation in this study and for your time to read this information sheet. If you wish to participate in this study, please continue on to the next page. This information sheet can be downloaded and is for you to keep.
You can download a copy of this information sheet here (opens in a new tab).
This survey is anonymous.
The record of your survey responses does not contain any identifying information about you, unless a specific survey question explicitly asked for it.
If you used an identifying token to access this survey, please rest assured that this token will not be stored together with your responses. It is managed in a separate database and will only be updated to indicate whether you did (or did not) complete this survey. There is no way of matching identification tokens with survey responses.
Our team at UTAS have been building tools to help people that are seeking treatment for their drug use. As part of this, we need pictures that match the sorts of things that you would see when you’re using methamphetamine – because the quicker these pictures catch your eye the more vulnerable you are to relapse. We’ve worked with people with lived experience to make some pictures, and now we need to know if they’re any good or not. We are looking for people that use amphetamine/methamphetamine (and are NOT in treatment) to look at the images we’ve made and rate how typical they are and how they make you feel.
There’s 60 pictures to rate and a handful of questions about your age, gender and methamphetamine use. You don’t need to do any writing, and you can do it all on your phone, tablet or computer. It should take about 15-20 minutes and we will provide a $15 Giftpay voucher for your time – these can be used at Bunnings, Coles, EB Games, Kmart, Myer, Optus, Playstation, Supercheap Auto, Woolworths, Xbox live and about 100 other places – the only info needed is an email address. See giftpay.com.au
To do the study or find out more, please click here!
This research has been approved by the Tasmanian Human Research Ethics Committee, application 30581.
Validation of a Novel Stimulant Cue Image Set (S)
Thankyou for your interest in our study. If you would like to participate, please read the study information sheet and sign the consent formInvitation
This is an independent study conducted by Associate Professor Raimondo Bruno, in the School of Psychological Sciences at the University of Tasmania. Other researchers involved in the study include Maria Bravo as part of her PhD studies and Sophie Williams as part of her research for the degree of Honours in Psychological Science. The team also includes Matthew Gretton who is our programmer.
1. What is the purpose of this study?
We have been building a package of brain games and practical strategies that we think will help people get better results if they are seeking treatment for their drug use. One of the things we know from research is that as people become more dependent on a drug, their brain adapts so that they are very sensitive and quick to notice anything in the environment that relates to their drug use (e.g. drug packets, syringes, etc). Multiple studies across the world have demonstrated that the quicker your attention is grabbed by these sorts of things, the greater your risk of relapse when you are trying to stop using. We’re currently building a test of this sort of attention for people who use methamphetamine, along with a bunch of strategies that people can use to help them take back control over these issues. To start with, we need to get a set of images that make sense to people who use methamphetamine in Australia. These will be the images that we will use in the tests. We’ve worked with people who are currently using methamphetamines to make some images, but we need to make sure that they work.
So we need to see how a group of people who use methamphetamines rate these images, and how a group of people who have never used methamphetamine rates these images. We want to rate these images on how they make you feel (happy or unhappy; calm or excited); whether they give you an urge to use methamphetamine; and whether these are typical things that you might see if you were a person that currently uses methamphetamine.
Once we know whether these work, we will make these images freely available for other researchers and for people working in drug and alcohol treatment settings to use.
2. Why have I been invited to participate?
You have been invited to take part because you are either:
- An Australian adult who currently uses methamphetamine and are not in drug treatment for methamphetamine use
It is entirely up to if you want to take part, and it is absolutely OK if you start and decide to change your mind at any stage.
3. What will I be asked to do?
The study involves completing a web-based survey. You can complete this on your phone, tablet or computer at a time that suits you. Here are the specific things in the survey:
- You’ll be asked about your current level of craving for methamphetamine
- You’ll be shown an image and asked to rate, out of 10
o How it makes you feel (how happy or unhappy)
o How calm or excited it makes you
o How much it makes you want to use methamphetamine
o How typical the image would be if you were actively using methamphetamine (only if you’re a person that is using methamphetamine!)
- There are 60 images to rate in total, and half of them relate to methamphetamine (the others are all about food)
- There are also questions about:
o What device you completed the survey on
o Your age (years), gender, and state/territory that you live in
o How often you have used, on average, in the last year
o How you use it (injecting, smoking, snorting etc)
We think this will take about 15-20 minutes to do. You don’t need to do any writing.
It is important to know that it is completely up to you whether you wish to complete the full survey, only complete some parts, or not complete the survey at all. It is okay to only complete the parts of the study that you feel comfortable to do.
4. Are there any possible benefits from participation in this study?
The main benefit from taking part in this study is contributing to science and ensuring that the picture set we developed makes sense. We hope to use information we get from this study to improve current drug treatment tools to benefit people who are seeking treatment for their use. We believe that treatment services regarding people who use methamphetamine are improved when informed by research that draws on the insight and expertise of people who use methamphetamine personally themselves.
We appreciate your time in participating in this study, and we are able to provide reimbursement of $15 Giftpay gift voucher for taking part (pro-rata based on how much you complete). The vouchers can be used at Bunnings, Coles, EB Games, Kmart, Myer, Optus, Playstation, Supercheap Auto, Woolworths, Xbox live and about 100 other places – the only info needed is an email address.
5. Are there any possible risks from participation in this study?
The images involve syringes, pipes, and male and female models in various stages of getting ready to use methamphetamine. If you’re a person who currently uses methamphetamine, it is possible that you may experience some craving from viewing them. If you’re a person who has never used methamphetamine, it is possible that you might find these images a little uncomfortable. In either case, if you do not feel comfortable, you can choose to take a break, skip a question or stop the survey early if needed. At the end of the survey, you will be provided with contact information for substance use support and treatment services.
We will not ask of any information that could identify you as a participant in this study.
We have a number of steps in place to protect your confidentiality.
There are some circumstances in which researchers are legally compelled to provide information or evidence about the use of illicit drugs. However, we do not expect that any information provided to us in this study will trigger any reporting requirements. The information that you provide during the course of this research is not identifiable (i.e., no names etc), so there is nothing that the researchers would be able to report on about any specific individual taking part in the study.
To maintain your confidentiality, the survey is hosted on a University of Tasmania server, and data are stored on University of Tasmania servers. Bank-grade encryption is used for survey submission and no IP addresses are recorded. You are able to decline any answers that you so wish, and if you get part way through the survey and decide not to continue, you can close the survey on your computer.
Should you wish to enter the prize draw, you will be invited to submit an email address to a separate survey. You do not need to participate in the prize draw in order to take part in the study. You will enter your email address via a separate survey at the end. In this way, even your email cannot be linked with survey responses.
6. What if I change my mind during or after the study?
Participation in this study is entirely voluntary. It is completely up to you if you wish to participate or not. If at any stage, during or after the study, you change your mind it is completely fine to stop immediately and withdraw. You can stop participation without consequence or needing to provide any reason. This will not affect your relationship with the University of Tasmania in any way, and will not affect your current or future relations with the Needle and Syringe Program or Prolific Academic.If you decide that you no longer want to be part of the study, we will still provide reimbursement based on the time you spent on the task prior to withdrawing participation.
7. What will happen to the information when this study is over?
All information will be kept confidential and non-identifiable. We don’t ask any questions that can specifically identify you (birthdates, names, etc). It is possible that if you looked at the records of the study and there was only one person that matched your specific age and gender, then you would be able to identify your own record in the data, but if a person did not know that you took part, there is no way that you could be identified by the questions that we ask.
Information collected from this study will only be accessible to, and viewed by, the research team. All data collected will be stored on a secure password protected database which will be kept secure for a period of five years, after which all information will be destroyed.
Our research group are supporters of the principles of Open Science. Some of these principles involve making sure that research results are available to others, so they can be used in other studies to speed up new discoveries. Another benefit of Open Science is that other people can audit our data (and make sure that we haven’t made any mistakes in the way it is reported). We feel that this is an important part of science. We would like to make the non-identifiable data from your responses available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/). The data and all the materials from the study will be stored on this website, and other researchers may request access to the non-identified data from this study. The only data that will be included on the site is the responses you make to the surveys. Access is audited and under password protection. All of our studies will be available under the Drug Use at UTAS (DRUGLAB) page on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/nps6y/). You will be given the option to opt in or opt out of this.
8. How will the results of the study be published?
The findings of this study will be reported in an Honours thesis, published in a scientific journal and may be presented at scientific conference presentations. Group analyses will be the only results reported in any publication which means as a participant your participation will be kept completely confidential and no identifying information will be used.
A summary of the results will be made publicly available on the Drug Use at UTAS (DRUGLAB) page on the Open Science Framework website (https://osf.io/nps6y/).
You can also contact Raimondo Bruno directly here for copies of results: [email protected]
9. What if I have questions about this study?
If you have any questions about the study, you can contact Raimondo Bruno at 03 6226 2240 or [email protected]
This study has been approved by the University of Tasmania Human Research Ethics Committee. If you have concerns or complaints about the conduct of this study, you can contact the Executive Officer of the HREC (Tasmania) Network on (03) 6226 6254 or email [email protected]. The Executive Officer is the person nominated to receive complaints from research participants. You will need to quote H30851
Thank you for considering participation in this study and for your time to read this information sheet. If you wish to participate in this study, please continue on to the next page. This information sheet can be downloaded and is for you to keep.
You can download a copy of this information sheet here (opens in a new tab).
This survey is anonymous.
The record of your survey responses does not contain any identifying information about you, unless a specific survey question explicitly asked for it.
If you used an identifying token to access this survey, please rest assured that this token will not be stored together with your responses. It is managed in a separate database and will only be updated to indicate whether you did (or did not) complete this survey. There is no way of matching identification tokens with survey responses.
