Most people experience difficulties in their relationships from time to time; we have all been let down by people we trust and at times we may feel that we have let others down. However, some experiences in relationships can leave a lasting impact on how we feel about ourselves, other people, and the world around us.

The main purpose of this research is to measure if people with some mental health difficulties have different experiences of being let down and perhaps letting others down. We are doing this research, with the aim of informing our understanding of this area, and the therapy that individuals with certain difficulties receive.

What's involved in the study

Taking part will involve completing an online questionnaire. If you decide to take part, you will be asked to complete a series of questionnaires which will ask about your current mental well-being and past life experiences. This should take between 30-45 minutes to complete. Some questions will ask how you feel about yourself, the world and other people, and some will be about your experiences in general. An example of the sort of questions that will be asked is: “Do you think you may have betrayed someone you trusted?”

Eligibility

To take part in this study you need to be 18 years of age or older and:

• have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• have an anxiety disorder or depression
• have experienced a traumatic event
• do not consider yourself to be experiencing any mental health difficulties at the present time.

If you currently have, or have ever had, bipolar disorder, psychosis, alcohol or substance dependence, or you deliberately harm/have ever harmed yourself, we advise that you not volunteer to take part.

What you'll get for taking part

At the end of the questionnaire, you will have the opportunity to enter a prize draw to win one of five £20 gift vouchers via Amazon or Paypal. You will also be helping to advance our knowledge of the part that experiences of betrayal play in some mental health difficulties, which could go on to inform improvements in psychological therapy for people with these diagnosis.

Confidentiality

To maintain confidentiality, the consent form and questionnaire data will be completed via Qualtrics, a secure survey software platform that fully complies with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Data will be stored at an encrypted Qualtrics data centre, and only accessible to the researchers via a password-protected Qualtrics account. This study has received ethical approval.¹