Reference No.: D23/299, 27th October 2023
Body and Soul, the New Zealand military veteran, spirituality and wellbeing: a pilot survey.
INFORMATION SHEET FOR PARTICIPANTS
Thank you for showing an interest in this project. Please read this information carefully before deciding whether or not to participate. If you decide to participate we thank you. If you decide not to take part there will be no disadvantage to you and we thank you for considering our request.
You are invited to take part in a study called “Body and Soul, the New Zealand military veteran, spirituality and wellbeing: a pilot survey.” Whether or not you take part is your choice. If you don’t want to take part, you don’t have to give a reason. If you do want to take part now, but change your mind later, you can contact the research team to have your data withdrawn up until the 17th November, 2023. The study is being carried out by a team of trainee doctors from Otago University under the supervision of Dr Dave McBride who has over 40 years of experience as an MO, and has seen service in Northern Ireland, East Timor and Afghanistan.
The information here will help you decide if you’d like to take part. It sets out why we are doing the study, what your participation would involve, what the benefits and risks to you might be, and what will happen after the study ends.
Why are we doing this?
We are trying to find out what spirituality means, and how it is related to the wellbeing of New Zealand veterans.
We know that most veterans do well in life, but that post traumatic distress is experienced by a significant minority, and we want to know if spirituality is part of this big picture. Spirituality can be defined as something that includes a connection with something bigger than ourselves, and typically involves a search for meaning in life. We hope this project will help us understand how and if spirituality could help veterans improve their health and wellbeing. We also hope to talk about this more in a future telephone interview study, which you also might like to participate in at a later date.
What will my participation in the study involve?
If you agree to participate in this study, you will be asked to complete a short survey of about 30 questions about your spirituality and health, which should take no more than 10-15 minutes to complete. There is a link to this survey at the end of this information.
All the information collected will be kept confidential. We will ask for your name and contact details but this will be stored separately from the data and will be used only:
If the results suggest you are experiencing poor health, in which case Dave McBride, researcher and experienced MO, will get in touch.
If you agree to be contacted again about the future study.
Results will be available only to one student investigator, kept securely thereafter, and used only for the study purposes. No personal identifying details will appear in the database or any report. Your survey answers will not be linked to you, and at no point will anyone else have access to any of this data.
What are the possible benefits and risks of this study?
Everyone who completes the survey will go into a draw for $100 MTA voucher. The draw will occur after the survey closes and the winner will be notified by email.
While not designed to do so, some of the questions may recall painful memories or generate negative emotions. If these cause distress and you need help, it is available.
The NZDF 24/7 Helpline: is available to all serving NZDF members and veterans:
0800 NZDF 4U (0800 693 348 or 0800 189 910)
NO DUFF is an extensive network of volunteers across NZ, the majority of whom are operationally experienced, serving and former members of the NZDF. NO DUFF NZ provides an important bridging link between contemporary veterans and support agencies like the RSA and Veterans’ Affairs. They can be contacted at:
Mobile/txt 022 307 1557 or noduff.ngo@gmail.com
Veterans Affairs NZ can be contacted on: 0800 483 8372 (0800 4 VETERAN)
You will also be able to contact the RSA and their District Support Services Team:
Northland: Charlie Lamb – 027 421 0990
Auckland: Tony Miller – 027 425 1574
Waikato/King Country/Bay of Plenty: Tricia Hague – 027 388 6243
Wairarapa/Hawke’s Bay/East Coast: Janet Castell – 027 239 1008
Central/Wellington: Danny Nelson – 027 202 3931
Nelson/Marlborough/Westland: Rob Todman – 021 256 2180
Canterbury: Jo Frew – 021 208 4622
Otago/Southland: Niall Shepherd – 027 600 3104
Australia: Valerie Church – +61 416 755 125
What happens after the Study?
A copy of all de-identified data will be kept be stored electronically at the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine on a password protected computer for at least 5 years. There will be a separate file containing your personal identifiers, which will only be used should you consent to future contact regarding your results or the future study.
You can request to be sent a copy of the summary of the results and a copy of any published paper or report. This information will also be freely available on-line.
If you have any questions about our project, either now or in the future, please feel free to contact:-
Dr Dave McBride
Department of Preventive and Social Medicine
Telephone Number:- 03 479 7208 or 027 253 5451
Email Address david.mcbride@otago.ac.nz
This study has been approved by the Department stated above. However, if you have any concerns about the ethical conduct of the research you may contact the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee through the Human Ethics Committee Administrator (ph +643 479 8256 or email humanethics@otago.ac.nz). Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated and you will be informed of the outcome.
Body and soul, the New Zealand Military Veteran, spirituality and wellbeing, a pilot survey.
I have read the survey information, by completing the survey and submitting my responses, I agree to participate.
Take the survey!
