Dear Prospective Participant,

Thank you for coming to this website.

My name is Belinda Witherspoon and I am a student currently completing my final subject in the Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) at Charles Sturt University. As part of the course I am undertaking a research project that will investigate public attitudes towards domestic violence. This research is being done under the supervision of Associate Professor Graham Tyson.

My research aims to contribute to providing a better understanding of the ways in which the public may feel about perpetrators and victims of domestic violence in different types of relationships. By understanding these opinions, research may be able to better inform policies to improve treatments and interventions for such cases, in turn helping to make our society a safer place.

The data obtained from this survey are completely anonymous. A final report of these conclusions will be submitted in the form of a dissertation for my degree, and may also be published in an academic journal at a later stage.

If you are prepared to assist me, you will be required to read a short ‘news report’ describing a case of domestic violence and to answer some questions about it. You will also need to answer a few questions about your general opinions and beliefs about our society. Lastly, you will be asked to enter some basic demographic information, but nothing that could identify you.

The entire process should only take about 15 minutes to complete.

Your participation in this study is completely voluntary and you may choose not to continue at any time before submitting the questionnaire. By completing and submitting the questionnaire it will be taken that you consent to participate and for your responses to be included within the research analyses and results. Please note that due to the anonymous nature of the study you will be unable to withdraw from the study once the questionnaire has been submitted as your data will be unidentifiable.

The report used in this study describes a domestic violence incident that will be no more detailed then what you may read in a newspaper or see on the television. If you feel that you may be distressed by reading such a report, then it may be best not to participate in this survey. If you do choose to continue to participate and become distressed, I urge you to contact a support service such as Lifeline, on 131114.

If you choose to participate please proceed to the questionnaire by clicking on the continue button below.

Clicking the button below, indicates you have read this statement and agree to participate in the trial simulation :

NOTE: Charles Sturt University’s School of Psychology Ethics Committee has approved this project. If you have any complaints or reservations about the ethical conduct of this project, you may contact the Committee through the Executive Officer:
The Executive Officer
School of Psychology Ethics Committee
Charles Sturt University
Panorama Avenue
Bathurst NSW 2795
Tel: (02) 6338 4580
Email: psychethics@csu.edu.au

Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated fully and you will be informed of the outcome.
Ethics Approval: 113/2011/40