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Loras College Institutional Review Board

REQUEST FOR IRB REVIEW
Student Research Project

Please complete the following research application. Provide all information requested as part of this
application. Do not simply refer to other documents or grant applications. Once completed, send this form,
with the ​attached Research description​, and all supporting documents (email preferred) to the Institutional
Review Board chair: Dr. Kristen Thompson, (7122); irb@loras.edu

Ethics Certification: ​In submitting this review request, you agree to conduct this research as described in the
attached documents. You agree to request and wait to receive approval from the IRB for any changes to the research
proposal. You will comply with the policies for conducting ethical research as outlined in the Belmont Report (at
http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/policy/belmont.html​ .) and other applicable professional ethical standards.

Please watch the video ​The Belmont Report: Basic Ethical Principles and Their
Application ​from the Office for Human Research Protections of the U.S.
Department of Health & Human Services, from the beginning of the program to
minute 13, available at ​www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up09dioFdEU​ . Your
electronic signature in the space below affirms that you have watched the video
and understand the ethical principles presented:
Kayla Kinney
Kayla Tilkes
Gabrielle Cullen

1. Student Investigator(s) and contact information​:

Kayla Tilkes, Gabrielle Cullen, Kayla Kinney
kayla.tilkes@loras.edu​, ​gabrielle.cullen@loras.edu​, ​kayla.kinney@loras.edu
2. Title of Project: ​Adult’s Perception on Child Sport and Risk of Concussion

3. Course Requiring Project: ​ Research Methods and Statistics II

4. Faculty sponsor name and contact information​:

Lisa Grinde, ​lisa.grinde@loras.edu
5. Proposed duration of all project activities: From _​March 2019_​__ to __​May 2019​___

6. Approximate number of subjects: ​36 participants

7. Type of subject: (Mark all appropriate)

_X_ Adults, Non-student __ Persons with cognitive or psychological impairment

__ Loras College students __ Persons with limited civil freedom
__ Other college students __ Persons with HIV+/AIDS
__ Minors (under age 18) __ Pregnant women

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6. Special considerations: (Mark all appropriate)

_X_ No special materials __ Use of deception (explain in attachment)

__ Videotaping __ Use of alcohol or drugs
__ Audio taping ___ Other (explain):

7. Funding source (other than Loras College): N/A

.​Please complete the Research Description outlined on the next page.

RESEARCH DESCRIPTION
Please address each of the following points below. If a question or section is not applicable to your
research, please state this.

1. Purpose & Significance of Project.

The purpose of this research is to investigate how adults perceive concussions from sports in regards
to their children/future children while still considering the benefits of sport. We hypothesize that those adults
who receive Article B regarding concussions in sports will score lower in willingness to enroll their child in
contact sports than those who receive Article A with only the positives of sport. We expect this to happen
because the article will outline the risk that contact sports have on concussions which can sway an
individual’s opinion about enrolling their child in sports or not. The information obtained might be useful in
considering if one should enroll their child in sports or not.
Concussions are a traumatic brain injury that affects people in ways they do not even realize. They
affect about 4 million athletes each year in the United States (Kontos, 2017). There are cognitive effects,
emotional effects, and long lasting effects that are still being studied. Concussions are a common thing,
especially among athletes, and when someone gets one it has been known for the injury to be blown off and
not taken seriously. Physical injuries are more of a concern to everyone rather than the mental injuries one
can get from a concussion. This has caused many people’s brains to be altered, which can cause a change in
their personality. This topic is important because many people do not understand the severity of this specific
brain injury. There are long lasting effects that can change a person’s life because of the way it changes their
brain and the way they think. It is important to make this topic more known and for everyone to understand
the effects of a concussion. Doing research on this topic will provide more information on the severity of this
head injury and could possibly identify a parent’s decision when choosing to enroll their child in sport.
Kroshus et al. identified that around half of parents (51%) were worried about their child’s risk for
concussion (2018). This specific research project will help us see if people will be more conscious in their
decisions if they know about the different effects concussions have one a person. We want to see if there is a
difference in the people who will let their kids play contact sports after reading about concussions compared
to those who are reading about the benefits of sport. This project will also make concussions more well
known.

2. Participants
Recruitment:
An email will be sent to adults who have children between the ages of 0 and 4. Those who are
interested will reply to the email and one of the researchers Kayla, Kayla, or Gabrielle will send the

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individuals links to the online questionnaire and articles. The links will be assigned to the individuals
randomly.
Consent:
A consent form will be sent along with the initial email about the study. Participants who want to be
a part of the study will electronically sign the consent form and email it back to the researchers.
Collaboration:​ N/A

3. Methods and Procedure:

Participants will be asked to read one of the two articles: Article A will contain information
regarding positive effects of sport and how influential they can be for a child. Article B will inform the
participants of the positive effects of sports (identical to Article A) as well as the negative effects of
concussions from sports. Both articles will be approximately 3-5 minute reads. Article A participants will
receive a personal electronic copy of the article. Same will occur for Article B assigned participants.
Following the article, participants (regardless of article) will be asked to complete our questionnaire. We
expect this procedure to take a single session of approximately 15-25 minutes. Participants will be not
exposed to each other in their respective groups. The instruments and materials that will be used include the
two articles and questionnaire, which are all attached.

4. Risk & Benefit Analysis

A social risk might be that an individual could be more hesitant in letting their child participate in
sports after reading one of the articles. Some individuals might also experience discomfort with the
information presented. To protect participants, all answers to the questionnaire will be kept confidential, to
ensure that the participant’s responses remain private. Participants will gain knowledge the benefits of sport.
No compensation will be given for participation. No debriefing is required once participants have completed
the questionnaire.

5. Data Handling
Data will be kept confidential and only the researchers, Gabrielle and both Kayla’s will be able to see
the data, as well as Professor Grinde. The data will be stored in a single folder from March 2019 to May
2019. No audio or video tapes will be used. We plan on sharing the results of this research in our Research
Methods and Statistics II class. The data will be presented in person and on a poster.

6. Investigator Background (Student researchers only)

We had previous literature reviews and research projects to prepare us for this research. We have all
participated and conducted research projects in the past and created our own literature reviews. Our faculty
sponsor will monitor and review the whole research process.

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INFORMED CONSENT

You are being asked to participate in a study conducted by Loras College Psychology
students in a Research Methods & Statistics class. The principal researchers that are conducting this
study include Gabrielle Cullen, Kayla Kinney and Kayla Tilkes. This research is monitored and
supervised by our faculty sponsor, Lisa Grinde.
The purpose of this research is to investigate how parents of young children perceive the
benefits and risks of sport participation. We are asking that 36 participants participate in this study.
Each participant will be able to complete this research study in the comfort of their home on their
personal computer, laptop, or phone. You will receive an article to read and then will fill out an
online questionnaire. This procedure will take about 15-25 minutes.
Participation in this research project carries a small risk which might be that you could be
more hesitant in letting your child participate in sports after reading the article or you may
experience discomfort with the information presented; however, this risk factor is minimized by the
fact that all observations will be recorded anonymously to ensure the participant’s privacy. All data
will be kept confidential and only between the researchers. Through participation in this research
project you may benefit personally by learning more about sports. Furthermore, no compensation
will be given for participating in this research.
Participating in this research project is voluntary, and you may withdraw from it at any time
without penalty– even after you have started it. Questions may be skipped if you feel uncomfortable
answering. If you have any questions regarding the study, please contact any of the principle
researcher: Gabrielle Cullen (​gabrielle.cullen@loras.edu​), Kayla Kinney (​kayla.kinney@loras.edu​)
and Kayla Tilkes (​kayla.tilkes@loras.edu​). If you have any questions or concerns about your rights
as a research subject, please feel free to contact the Institutional Review Board Chair at Loras
College, Kristen Thompson (​kristen.thompson@loras.edu​).

Print

X_____________________________________

Signature

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X_____________________________________ Date________________

Your signature indicates that this research study has been explained to you, that your questions have
been answered, and that you agree to take part in this study. You may request a copy of this form.

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Sport Participation Study

Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability. If you have only a son or daughter, please only respond to those
questions regarding them. If you have both a son and daughter, please respond to all questions. You have the option to withhold
answers to any of the following questions without any repercussions.

Have you ever had a concussion? Yes No

How aware are you about the effects of concussion? (not aware) 1 2 3 4 5 (very aware)

Have you participated in sport? Yes No

What is your child’s gender? Male Female

How old is your child? _____________

How worried are you about your child’s risk for concussion?

(not worried) 1 2 3 4 5 (very worried)

How likely are you to encourage your child to participate in a sport?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your daughter to participate in soccer?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your son to participate in soccer?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your daughter to participate in football?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your son to participate in football?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your daughter to participate in hockey?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

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How likely are you to allow your son to participate in hockey?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your daughter to participate in dance?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your son to participate in dance?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your daughter to participate in tennis?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your son to participate in tennis?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your daughter to participate in golf?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

How likely are you to allow your son to participate in golf?

(not likely at all) 1 2 3 4 5 (very likely)

Please list any sport(s) you would not want your child to participate in and briefly explain why.

What do you believe to be the top 3 benefits of sports?

What do you think to be the top 3 negatives of sport participation?