This study explores how individuals with distressful mental health experiences navigate everyday life and foster positive adaptation through meaningful social interactions. This study relies on a baseline self-reported survey and the Experience Sampling Methodology (ESM), which is a diary technique aimed at sampling people's behaviour several times a day through brief questionnaires sent to participants' smartphones through an application (m-path).
Who are eligible to participate?
We are inviting people 18 years old or above who are able to read and understand English to take part in our study. You may be eligible if you have recently experienced any of the following:
- Feeling deeply sad, drained, or hopeless almost every day continuously for about two weeks
- Experiencing changes in vision/hearing/taste/sense of touch
- Experiencing unusual beliefs, struggling to keep thoughts straight, or feeling not quite like yourself
- Experiences of shifting between weeks of depression and separate periods of unusually high emotion or energy level for days at a time
All prospective participants are asked to complete an online screening survey before formal invitation to the study.
What does this study involve?
The study consists:
- an online baseline questionnaire completed at your own convenience at the beginning (about 20-25 minutes)
- optional brief surveys regarding your daily experience for 2 weeks (i.e., experience sampling methodology [ESM] surveys) including:
- a brief online preparation session via video conferencing (about 10 minutes)
- a momentary experience survey collection for 2 weeks from your phone (about 7 minutes/day)
What do we offer in return?
This study offers compensation to participants up to £16.60 (or the local equivalent) or SONA credits:
- £5 for successful completion of the baseline survey (or SONA credit)
- Up to £11.60 (bonus included) for ESM surveys (or SONA credits)
Participants recruited through the SONA system at The University of Edinburgh will receive SONA credits as compensation.
Participants who are not invited to the study after the brief screening survey will be entered into a prize draw for a chance to win one of four £5 (or the local equivalent) prizes, as a token of our appreciation for participation.
Get in Touch!
Email: Synodos-Study@ed.ac.uk
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