Final version 1.0: 13/03/2024

Title of Study: Investigating Sexual Fantasies, Sexual Partners and Sexual Behaviours.

We are inviting you to take part in a research study. Before you decide, it is important that you know why we are doing the study and what is involved. Please read the following information carefully.

**CONTENT WARNING** - Sensitive/Sexual topics. This study contains questionnaire items, adapted from standard/validated scientific measures, that may make some participants feel uncomfortable (e.g. asking about aggressive and other less conventional sexual fantasies/interests, and also describing sexual acts that may be illegal). If you feel these topics might distress you or make you uncomfortable, you are advised to not take part in this study.

The aim of the study is to explore the relationships between sexual fantasies and the motivation to enact the same behaviour with a specific person, alongside the role of masturbation. The results will help improve our understanding of the factors that impact people’s sexual fantasies. This could help us better understand how these factors affect sexual and romantic relationships. This project is conducted as part of my thesis project at the University of Lincoln.

You are being invited to take part because you are 18 or over and are fluent in English. We are aiming to recruit a total of 250 participants. 

Participation is completely voluntary. You should only take part if you want to and choosing not to take part will not disadvantage you in any way.

After reading this document, you will be asked to provide your consent in order to take part in the study. After consenting, you will be asked some demographic questions (i.e., age, gender, ethnicity, relationship status). Following this, you will complete a series of questionnaires assessing your masturbatory and non-masturbatory sexual fantasies with different people, as well as your motivation to engage in these fantasies in real-life. You will also complete a measure of sexual compulsivity. Afterwards, we will provide a debrief to give you a further explanation about the study and some support organisation contacts if needed (which can also be found at the bottom of this form). The questionnaires in this study will be completed online via QuestionPro, and will take approx. 20-30 min. You are free to withdraw anytime during the study by simply closing your Internet browser.

Please note that, although they ask about sensitive topics and illegal acts, the questionnaires used in this study are validated measures (or informed by validated measures) used for scientific research purposes. As such, they also do not reflect the views or opinions of the researchers or the University of Lincoln.

You will not be paid to participate in the study.

There are no direct benefits to participating in this study; however, participants may benefit from knowing they have helped to further the scientific understanding of sexual fantasies.

Participation in this study is not expected to have any major risks for participants. However, certain measures and/or questions, especially those of a sexual nature, may cause some discomfort. Thus, if you feel upset or anxious about answering a question, you can withdraw by clicking off the browser tab. If you feel that questions of this nature will cause you distress or upset, please do not take part at all in this study.

The information we collect will be handled in confidence. No one will know you have taken part, as your responses are pseudo-anonymous.

The data obtained from the study will be stored securely on the University of Lincoln OneDrive in password protected files. Only the researcher/researchers will have access to it. The data from this study may be put in an Open Access repository for other researchers to use in future research.

If you feel you do not want to continue, you are able to exit the browser tab and any data up to that point will be removed. Therefore, partially completed questionnaires (that indicate an individual has closed the browser and withdrawn from the study) will be deleted and, thus, not analysed. However, if you complete the study, we will not be able to remove the data provided, as data will be inputted anonymously and so we will be unable to identify your responses.

The results will be written up as part of our MSc thesis in Forensic Psychology at the University of Lincoln. The findings might also be published in a journal or presented at conferences.

This research is being organised by Dr Ross Bartels and Jessica Manganaro at the University of Lincoln.

All research conducted by the University of Lincoln is looked at by an independent group of people, called a Research Ethics Committee, to protect your interests. This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by a University of Lincoln Research Ethics Committee UoL 2023_16334.

It is very unlikely that this study would cause you any harm. However, if you have a concern or a complaint about any aspect of this study, you should ask to speak to the researchers who will do their best to answer your questions.  The researchers contact details are given at the end of this information sheet. If you remain unhappy and wish to complain formally, you can make a formal complaint through the University complaints procedure or by contacting ethics@lincoln.ac.uk.

If you are affected by any of the issues raised so far, the following organisations may be able to provide help and advice:

Brook.org.uk: 07717989023 (relationship, sexual health and well-being advice)

Mind.org.uk: 03001233393 (mental health and well-being advice)

Here4You: 08002346342 (Lincolnshire’s emotional wellbeing/mental health services)

NHS Sexual Health: 03001237123 (the National Sexual health Helpline)

Supervising researcher: Dr Ross Bartels- rbartels@lincoln.ac.uk

Student: Jessica Manganaro – 15596212@students.lincoln.ac.uk