For my master’s thesis, I am looking for participants for an online study. The preferred age range is 18-34 years old (Though, you’re still allowed to participate if you are older!).
This study inquires into the educational potential of (interactive) digital narratives. In the narrative, you’ll experience a narrative that takes you through a day in the life of Jayce and Mia and see how Social Anxiety Disorder plays a role in it.
Important: I am specifically looking for participants without experience with SAD (meaning that you or someone close to you suffers or has suffered from SAD) and the study must be accessed through a laptop or computer.
Thank you for your time! If you have any further comments and questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Feel free to share this study with others who might be interested.
finding participants without social anxiety is one thing, finding participants with no friends or family that have social anxiety is another…would gladly take it otherwise
Yes, I know it is quite a risk to have this as a requirement. However, I made this choice because my research method is based on earlier work where they looked into the educational effects of IDN’s on depression. They encountered a ceiling effect, which they attributed to the fact that almost all of their participants had ‘experience’ with depression. They gave this as a suggestion for further research. So, I agree that it is not the easiest task but I’m also afraid it will skew my findings
This age range was chosen because this group has the highest prevalence of SAD. Even though I target participants without SAD, this group is most likely to encounter peers with SAD or maybe even recognise it in themselves after learning more about the inner workings of SAD and how to recognise it. I think they benefit most from increased knowledge and understanding of SAD to reduce stigma and increase empathy for those suffering from SAD. Even though SAD can have an early onset, people that suffer from it usually only seek help after 15 to 20 years of symptoms, which is why people outside of the age range are also welcome to participate.
It kind of depends on which version of the narrative you get, but it takes between 30 to 45 minutes. (Sorry, I forgot to mention that in the original post)
Social Anxiety Disorder is characterized by an intense and persistent fear in social situations. People with SAD fear being negatively judged or watched by others. Examples of situations of when this fear can come out are public speaking, meeting new people, a job interview, or even just thinking about engaging in social situations. The fear can become so impairing that it leads to severe implication in the daily lives of those suffering from SAD.
