Welcome

General information for participants
University of Education Freiburg, B.Sc. Health Education

Strain, resources and coping strategies while studying

Dear students,

The purpose of this letter is to provide you with some initial information about my research project, Strain, resources and coping strategies while studying, and the methodology involved. This research is part of my bachelor’s thesis as a student of Health Education (B.Sc.) at the University of Education, Freiburg.

What is the aim of the research project?
The aim of my research project is to survey the stress and resources associated with the health and well-being of students in Germany. This includes, e.g., subjective health status, experiences of stress, coping strategies, and resources such as social support.

What is the methodology?
This survey is a cross-sectional online questionnaire.
Anonymity: The data is collected in pseudonymised form (using a code word).

To take part, you must be at least 18 years old, be enrolled as a student at a university in Germany, and pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD degree.

The survey period runs from 20th April to 10th May 2026 and takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete.

The survey collects personal data, such as your age, gender, or degree programme, as well as the college or university where you are studying. You will then be asked questions about your health, your resources, how you experience stress, and how you cope with it (example item: “When I feel overwhelmed, there are people who lift me up again.”)

You can complete this questionnaire on a laptop/PC, mobile phone or tablet. For a better display, I recommend using a laptop/PC or tablet.

If you have any further questions, please contact me via the email below.

Voluntary participation
Participation in the study is voluntary. You may withdraw from the study at any time without giving any reason.

Data Protection
All your details will be stored electronically in pseudonymised form and analysed for research purposes. ‘Pseudonymised’ means that your answers will be assigned a personal code word. You will create this code word yourself at the end of the survey using a specific rule. No one other than you will know this combination of numbers and letters. This means that no one will be able to link your data to your name. The code word enables you to request the deletion of your data once the survey has been completed (Right of Withdrawal). You have the right to request a restriction on the processing of your data, to object to its further processing, or to exercise your right to data portability (Right to be Forgotten). The Right of Withdrawal applies to the further processing of the data. Any evaluations already carried out remain unaffected (withdrawal with effect for the future, Art. 7(3) DSGVO).

Should you wish to make use of any of your rights, please contact me (luna.alvarezyhollestelle@stud.ph-freiburg.de) and provide your personal code word.
Without this code word, it is not possible to delete your data due to a lack of traceability.

What happens to my data?
During the survey period, the data is stored in encrypted form on a server belonging to the provider SoSci-Survey. IP addresses are not recorded. Once the survey period has ended, I will export the survey data. The survey data will be exported to my private, password-protected device and stored electronically for the duration of my bachelor’s thesis (until the end of July 2026). Only I and my supervisor at the University of Education Freiburg will have access to the stored data. The file is protected against access by third parties. After exporting the data, I will initiate the deletion of the data stored on the SoSci-Survey server.

The data will be analysed in a summarised and anonymised form, so that no conclusions can be drawn about you as an individual. The processing and analysis of the survey data will be carried out exclusively for the academic purpose specified above. The data collected as part of this study, as described above, will be treated confidentially. For this reason, I am bound by professional confidentiality and may under no circumstances disclose confidential information to third parties. The survey data will be irrevocably deleted no later than 3 months after the submission of my bachelor’s thesis (20 October 2026).

I would like to thank you very much for your support of my research project on Strain, resources and coping strategies while studying. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Your explicit consent is required for the collection, storage and use of your data, as set out in the data protection consent form at the bottom of this page. If you would like to take part in the study, please agree to the digital consent form.

Kind regards,

Luna Alvarez y Hollestelle
luna.alvarezyhollestelle@stud.ph-freiburg.de