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View Full Version : Help with Research Study: Seeking 2018 Thru-Hikers



hikenow
02-02-2018, 16:09
Hello Whiteblaze community! I first want to thank the entire community for everything that I learned here in preparing for my 2016 thru hike. It was an amazing experience and I envy those of you getting ready to head out this year. I also come asking for some help with a research project my colleague and I started two seasons ago and will continue this season. We are both psychologists at Shenandoah University located in Virginia (I'm a clinical psychologist, he is a cognitive psychologists). Please see the official announcement below explaining the research and the link to the survey. THANK YOU!! - Rodney/Bones

We are conducting a large survey study to examine how thru-hiking impacts individuals in terms of their personality, stress and depression symptoms, and skills in recognizing the emotions of others. Participation in this survey study would involve completing several short surveys at two different times: once prior to thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and once after thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. We have carefully designed procedures to limit the amount of time and effort needed for participation, and estimate that you will only need to devote approximately 30 minutes to complete the surveys each time. We hope to gain valuable insight into the benefits of embarking on a thru-hike experience. As an incentive for your participation, all participants of this study will be placed in a raffle for a chance to win one of four $100.00 REI gift certificates.

You must be at least 18 years old to participate and the study. All of the survey questions will be administered on-line and all of your responses will be kept confidential. If you are interested in participating in this study, please go to the following link for more information and to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5YGGX7R
(http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AT_Prehike_Survey)
Please feel free to contact either of the researchers listed below if you have any questions or concerns:

Dr. Rodney Bragdon (AT thru-hiker class of 2016) can be reached by email at [email protected] ([email protected]) or by telephone at (540) 409-1975.

Dr. Mark Chan can be reached by email at [email protected] ([email protected]) or by telephone at (540) 545-7284.

moldy
02-03-2018, 09:23
before you go there you should be aware that they require all your personal information

hikenow
02-08-2018, 22:02
Hi Moldy, You are correct. We do ask for personal contact information so that we can follow-up with participants following their thru-hike to complete the post-survey. I assure you that all information is kept strictly confidential is and used for no other purposes.
Bones - class of 2016
Rodney Bragdon