Welcome to our study “LGBTQIA+ Experiences in current times”! 

We thank you for your interest in this study. This survey aims to investigate the relationship between political climates, LGBTQIA+ identity and mental health. The study contains several questionnaires including approximately 200 questions. Completing it will take about 30 minutes in total. You will fill out demographic questions, measures for depression, anxiety, stress, discrimination experiences, your LGBTQIA+ identity and your general quality of life. 

We are looking for participants who identify within the LGBTQIA+ community, are over the age of 18 and speak English. Your LGBTQIA+ identity label does not matter, everyone is welcome to take the study. The study is completely in English, please only fill it out if you are confident you will understand everything. 

If you do not identify with an LGBTQIA+ identity label, please exit the browser. No data has been collected at this point. 

Voluntary Participation and Anonymity 

We understand that being part of the LGBTQIA+ community or identifying with an LGBTQIA+ label might not be comfortable or safe in current times. We thank you for still considering to participate in our study. Participation in this survey is entirely voluntary. At the beginning of the survey, you will be asked to confirm whether you consent to participate. If you agree, select "Agree" and proceed to answer the remaining questions. If you do not agree, select "Disagree" and the survey will end. You can withdraw consent at any time, even after completing the study. Your responses will be stored under a personal code that you are given at the beginning of the survey and that only you know. We cannot link the code to any specific person. You can contact us with your code to request the deletion of your data until January 2028. We do not need any other information like your name or personal details. However, please note that anonymity cannot be guaranteed should you contact us from an email address that contains your name, therefore we ask you to hide your email if possible. 

Your data will not be used for purposes other than academic research. The results of the survey will be statistically processed and published in academic conferences and scholarly journals. Individual responses will never be disclosed in their original form. 

Potential Risks, Burdens, and Benefits of Participation

We understand that participating in studies about this topic, especially as an LGBTQIA+ person, might feel like it could bear some risks. We can assure that we have screened all questionnaires for appropriate language. We also want to assure you again, that all data is anonymous and neither we nor anyone else can trace anything back to you. Some questions ask about current depressive states or anxiety-provoking situations. Since these questions are widely used in research, surveys, and medical examinations, the likelihood of experiencing psychological distress while answering is considered low. However, certain questions could cause temporary emotional discomfort. If you are currently unwell, please refrain from participating. If you feel unwell during the survey, stop answering immediately. Participation can be withdrawn at any time, even after initially providing consent. Declining to participate or withdrawing mid-survey will not result in any disadvantages for you in the study. 

Data protection 

Data will be collected fully anonymously, this means that we do not ask for your name or any identifying information. The anonymous data will be stored for a minimum of 10 years. The data will be collected on soscisurvey.de (SoSci Survey GmbH) and saved and encrypted in their data center in Munich (M-net Telekommunikations GmbH). The data center conforms with data protection according to German Data Protection Law (BDSG and DSGVO). In line with open science practices, it is planned to upload the anonymous data to the Open Science Framework (OSF) Data archive. This plan follows the recommendations to ensure quality of academic research. 

Payment 

There is no compensation or payment for participating in this study.

Contact information:

Chantal Kasch, MSc

Department of Psychology

Marburg University

chantal.kasch@uni-marburg.de 

(Please note that your anonymity cannot be guaranteed should you contact us with your personal email)