Participant Safety Information

Dear participant,

Thank you for participating in the Synodos Study. Your safety is the absolute priority in this study. Although we will do our best to ensure a smooth experience during the study, we might not be available 24/7, and we do not actively monitor ESM survey responses in real time. If you feel uncomfortable, distressed, unwell, or in an emergency, please use the following information as guidance.

If you feel uncomfortable regarding a specific question in a research survey:

You may skip the question that you feel uncomfortable with.

If you feel uncomfortable during a research procedure:

If you feel uncomfortable during a research procedure, we suggest that you stop the procedure and let us know as soon as possible by email or via a private message on any of the social media platforms listed below. For the baseline survey, please take breaks as needed and come back to complete the survey later within the seven-day period using the link we sent you in the email, which allows you to continue from the section you have completed. If you feel you need a break from completing an ESM survey, please feel free to skip completing a survey, which may help ease the fatigue.

If you feel distressed and need instant support with your mental health:

Please contact your local helplines. You may find information about available helplines in your area at findahelpline.com and befrienders.org. These helplines provide help free of charge, anonymously, and confidentially.

If you feel unwell and are unable to continue the current research procedure(s):

You should stop the current research procedures and let us know as soon as possible by email or via a private message on any social media platform. You should also contact your general practitioner, clinical team, attending physician, or other healthcare professional as soon as possible when necessary.

If there is an emergency:

In case of an emergency, please get in touch with your local emergency services as soon as possible and let us know afterwards when the emergency is resolved if it is relevant to this study. If you are unsure of your local emergency service number, you may find it on the Wikipedia List of Emergency Numbers. For your reference, emergency numbers for a few common countries or regions are listed below:

Note: 911 is the most common emergency number in the Americas, and 112 is the most common emergency number in Europe and the GSM emergency number.