What is the purpose of the research study?
Having a new baby can be a time when mothers have a range of emotions and experiences. Recent studies have shown that compassionate relating to oneself and others appears to be linked to well- being may be especially helpful at times when there are new challenges to face. We are conducting this study to investigate whether compassionate ways of thinking and relating to self and others is associated with well-being of mothers in the first year after having a baby. We also want to
investigate whether a brief, online self-help programme has an effect on compassionate relating and well-being at this time.
Why have I been invited?
You have been invited because you have had or begin caring for a baby in the last year, and registered your interest in the study. Around 200 mothers will be invited to take part. Do I have to take part?
No, it is up to you to decide to join the study. If you agree to take part, we will ask you to complete a consent declaration (a secure online form). After this you can withdraw at any time and you do not have to give a reason for this.
Who is running the study?
The study is being funded by Canterbury Christ Church University and run by Isobel Gammer (Trainee Clinical Psychologist) under the supervision of Dr Fergal Jones (Clinical Psychologist) and Dr Charlotte Hartley-Jones (Clinical Psychologist). It has been approved by the Canterbury Christ Church University research board and ethics committee.
What will taking part in the study involve?
If you wish to take part, your involvement will be entirely online (so can be done from your home computer, laptop or tablet) and will last for a maximum of 18 weeks.
If you decide you would like to take part, you will be asked to answer some questions. If at this point we do not think the programme is suitable for your needs, we will let you know that you are not being invited to take part at this point, and may suggest alternative sources of information or support. If you are invited to take part you will be asked to give some basic information about yourself and your family. You will then be invited to complete some online questionnaires when you are ready to begin the study and within one month. The questionnaires will ask about things like how you tend to respond when things go wrong, how often you experience certain positive feelings and states of mind and certain negative feelings or symptoms, and how you relate to others. They will take about half an hour to complete. You will be asked to complete the same online
You will also be invited to complete an online self-help programme, either during the first six weeks or the last six weeks of your involvement in the study. We will let you know be email which grouo you are in and send you a log-on at the appropriate time. The online programme aims to help you develop compassionate thinking, imagery and actions, with a particular focus on being
compassionate to yourself. This involves being aware of your own thoughts and experiences, especially difficult ones, and responding to them as best you can with understanding and gentle encouragement. The programme will suggest reading or listening to some information and trying out some simple exercises each week. You will be emailed reminders about the programme, unless you ask us not to se d these. Ea h eek s p og a e a e follo ed at ou o pa e – you can pause and return to it later or skip parts that do not seem helpful or you do not have time for.
Why are there two different groups?
We do not know yet whether this self-help programme changes how new mothers say they feel (well-being) or not. Offering the programme to two groups of mothers in turn lets us compare the level of well-being in a group of new mothers who have followed the programme with the level in a group who have not yet done so. To try to make sure the groups are the same to start with, each person taking part is put into one or other group by chance (randomly). You will have a 50% chance of being in the group invited to complete the programme first or second.
Expenses and payments
You will not have to spend any money to take part in the study. We are not able to pay you for your time but we will enter you into a prize draw if you complete the study, which means you have a chance of winning £50 of gift vouchers to spend as you wish.
What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?
Having a new baby is a busy time for most new mothers. Agreeing to take part in the study and complete the self-help programme means there will be an extra thing to do some weeks. While we hope it will be helpful overall, this could be experienced as an added stress for some people. If you do experience additional stress related to taking part in the study, we suggest you consider
withdrawing (stopping taking part in the online programme or in the study itself). Most people find that developing compassion-focused thoughts and activities is a positive
experience but a few people have said that starting to become more self-compassionate can make them feel sad or afraid. The programme or the questionnaires may also make you notice some of the more difficult thoughts or feelings you are experiencing. As researchers we are not able to provide psychological support services and we will not be following up with you after this study. If you feel distressed and have any concerns, we suggest seeking support from your doctor (GP).
What are the possible benefits of taking part?
Other programmes designed to help people develop self-compassion have been linked to increased well-being, reduced stress and reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety in people who are not new mothers. We cannot promise the study will help you but the information we get from this study will help improve recommendations we can make for new mothers seeking to improve their well- being and possibly the treatments we offer to prevent some mental health problems developing around this time.
Any complaint about the way you have been dealt with during the study or any possible harm you might suffer will be addressed. Details about this are given in the next section.