Welcome
Before accepting to participate in the study, please read the information provided below carefully.
Description
You are invited to participate in a research study that aims to explore the relationship between social media use and Eating Disorders (ED), also delving into the role of factors such as mentalization, which refers to the process by which an individual interprets their own actions and those of others based on intentional mental states.
You are invited to participate in a research study that aims to explore the relationship between social media use and Eating Disorders (ED), also delving into the role of factors such as mentalization, which refers to the process by which an individual interprets their own actions and those of others based on intentional mental states.
The study is led by the International University of La Rioja (UNIR) and the Clínica Proyecto Art. This project has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the International University of La Rioja.
Participation in the study
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete several online questionnaires about your social media use, mentalization, and symptoms related to eating behavior and general psychological well-being. If you participate in the study, you will complete these online questionnaires at three points in time: 1) now; 2) after 12 months; 3) after 16 months (optional).
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete several online questionnaires about your social media use, mentalization, and symptoms related to eating behavior and general psychological well-being. If you participate in the study, you will complete these online questionnaires at three points in time: 1) now; 2) after 12 months; 3) after 16 months (optional).
After completing the online questionnaire, individuals who use social media more frequently may be invited to participate in an interview that will explore certain topics related to social media use in more depth. This interview will be conducted by clinical psychologists from Clínica Art and can take place either online or in person. The data collected from this project is relevant for gaining a deeper understanding of the risk factors associated with ED.
Participant Implications
Voluntariness: You should understand that your participation is entirely voluntary.
Withdrawal from the study: You may withdraw from the study at any time, without needing to provide an explanation and without this having any repercussions on your current situation or treatment.
Confidentiality and anonymity: All personal data collected in this study will be kept confidential and handled in accordance with Organic Law 3/2018 on the Protection of Personal Data and guarantee of digital rights, which adapts Spanish legislation to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The identity of each participant will be protected by assigning a pseudonymized code, so that only the clinicians from the center collecting the data (Clínica Art) will have access to the patient's identity. Researchers at UNIR will receive a dissociated database, in which data is linked to codes without personal identifiers, thus ensuring confidentiality. This procedure follows the guidelines of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) for the dissociation of personal data, ensuring that reidentification is not possible without access to the matching key, which will be securely stored by Clínica Art and kept separate from the research database.
Use of the information: The information obtained will be used exclusively for the specific purposes of this study.
Compensation: You will not receive any financial or material compensation for participating in the study.
Participant rights: You have the right to skip any question(s) you do not wish to answer. In addition, you have the right to receive a copy of this document, as well as the signed consent form.
Voluntariness: You should understand that your participation is entirely voluntary.
Withdrawal from the study: You may withdraw from the study at any time, without needing to provide an explanation and without this having any repercussions on your current situation or treatment.
Confidentiality and anonymity: All personal data collected in this study will be kept confidential and handled in accordance with Organic Law 3/2018 on the Protection of Personal Data and guarantee of digital rights, which adapts Spanish legislation to the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The identity of each participant will be protected by assigning a pseudonymized code, so that only the clinicians from the center collecting the data (Clínica Art) will have access to the patient's identity. Researchers at UNIR will receive a dissociated database, in which data is linked to codes without personal identifiers, thus ensuring confidentiality. This procedure follows the guidelines of the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) for the dissociation of personal data, ensuring that reidentification is not possible without access to the matching key, which will be securely stored by Clínica Art and kept separate from the research database.
Use of the information: The information obtained will be used exclusively for the specific purposes of this study.
Compensation: You will not receive any financial or material compensation for participating in the study.
Participant rights: You have the right to skip any question(s) you do not wish to answer. In addition, you have the right to receive a copy of this document, as well as the signed consent form.