Developmental Psychiatry, Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 8AH. Telephone 01223 746055
Principal Investigator: Matthew Cassels
Supervisor: Dr Paul Wilkinson, University Lecturer

We would be really grateful if you took part in our research project. Please read this information sheet, which says more about it. We know that self-harm is getting more common in young people. We think that it is really important that we understand more about why some young people self-harm and why some do not so we can do more to prevent it and to help young people. We think that relationships, impulsivity, difficult experiences and difficult emotions might be important. Findings from this study will provide valuable information about self-harm and non-self-harm, which could lead to more effective treatments in the future. Whether or not you have ever self-harmed we would be grateful if you would consider taking part in this study, which will take between 20 and 45 minutes to complete. It is completely up to you whether or not you decide to take part. If you would rather not take part, please feel free to stop now or at any later point. We would like to recommend that even if you do decide not to participate, you still look at the final page of the study where you will find potentially valuable information on mental health services available to all students.

If you choose to take part in this study you will be asked to fill in a set of questionnaires about your life including your relationships with your parents and your friends, impulsivity, and your emotions and, if relevant, any instances of self-harm or traumatic experiences. You are free to leave any questions unanswered, and you may stop completing the survey at any time. We would also like to carry out a second study next year with some of the young people who take part in this study, both those who have self-harmed and those who have not. We shall therefore ask you if you would be happy for us to contact you in future to give you information about this second study. Taking part in the first study or even giving us permission to contact you in future does not commit you in any way to taking part in the second study.

If your survey answers raise serious concerns about your health or safety, or the safety of somebody else, you may be personally contacted over the telephone by the primary researcher (Matt, a PhD student), so we can check that you are safe. If Matt is still worried after this phone call, he will speak to his supervisor (Paul Wilkinson, an adolescent psychiatrist). Matt may give you some advice on how to get help. There is a small possibility that Matt will need to let other people know of your answers if we are still very worried about what you say. Matt will always let you know if he is going to do this. Otherwise, all of your responses will be kept strictly confidential. Any identifying information you provide, including your name and contact details, will be kept separately from your questionnaire responses. No personally-identifiable information will be published or shared. All information will be kept in locked/password protected filing cabinets and University of Cambridge mainframe computers.

Results will be e-mailed to participants who indicate their interest, and will also be presented at conferences and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.

The study has been reviewed and approved by the University of Cambridge Psychology Research Ethics Committee.

If you have any concerns and would like to speak to a member of the research team, please contact the principal investigator, Matthew Cassels, PhD candidate in child and adolescent psychiatry. Email: mtc41@cam.ac.uk Telephone: 01223 746 055 Alternatively, you may wish to contact the supervising investigator, Dr Paul Wilkinson, University Lecturer in child and adolescent psychiatry. Email: pow12@cam.ac.uk

If you wish to participate in this study please complete the Consent form and provide contact and demographic information below. Once you have completed this, you will be sent a unique link to the online survey within 24 hours. Click that link or copy and paste it into your address bar in order to begin or complete the survey. You can begin the survey at any time, and you can also save your responses part way through and return to the survey at any time.