The outbreak of COVID-19 and the societal responses taken to slow its spread have had far reaching effects on all of us. With this unique time in human history comes the realization that we have little understanding of how many of the large-scale measures being taken will impact us as individuals and a society. With that in mind, the Boston College Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory is seeking adult participants (ages 18+) to participate in a longitudinal survey study to address some of these questions. Given the large-scale effects this outbreak has already had on societies and cultures across the globe, we are seeking participants regardless of whether they have been diagnosed with COVID-19. There are three main purposes to this study:
1. Determine if certain sleep or activity behaviors generate any additional protection or risk of contracting COVID-19
2. Determine the effects of COVID-19 on sleep, activity and mood, and determine if any changes persist after recovering from the symptoms
3. Determine the societal impacts of COVID-19 and cases of quarantine on stress levels, mood, and sleep.
We are hoping to recruit a large number of participants across a wide-range of demographics to have as wholistic an understanding of this pandemic as possible.
Should you choose to participate in this study, you will receive a link for an online demographic form via email. Once completed, you will be signed up to receive the follow-up assessments planned for the duration of the study. In order to collect as much information as we can about factors that may be influencing your experience of COVID19, we will occasionally offer the opportunity to complete one-time survey assessments (typically 30-60 min). We will also occasionally have periods in which we send out daily surveys that ask you to report on characteristics of your sleep, stress, and mood, as well as screening for COVID-19 symptoms and diagnosis (typically 5-10 minutes). These daily survey periods will typically span a period of 2 weeks. All surveys are optional and you are free to discontinue your participation at any time.
Compensation for participation in the assessments will be entries into a raffle drawing for one of 100 Amazon gift cards worth $20. All participants that complete the one-time assessments will receive one raffle entry into the drawing. Additionally, for every 4 days of the daily surveys you complete, you will receive one additional entry into the raffle. The days the surveys are completed do not need to be consecutive to qualify.
Most importantly, your health and safety are our number one priority. If diagnosed with COVID-19, we hope and encourage you to seek the treatment and care that you need and recover quickly. Any information that you provide us moving forward will be useful in understanding the effects of COVID-19 and the culture of living though a pandemic, but please do not let keeping up with these surveys interfere with your care in any way. Feel free to only respond to the study on days that you are feeling up to it.
If you’re interested in participating please click on the link below or copy and paste it into your browser to read more about the study and provide your informed consent: