Informed Consent for Study: High-Control Groups

You have been asked to participate in a free, anonymous research study conducted by Dr. Steven Hassan, a Fellow at Fielding Graduate University’s Institute for Social Innovation, located in Santa Barbara, CA. This study is supervised by Dr. Katherine McGraw with the twenty-question survey by Dr. Malcolm North whom we gratefully thank. You are being asked to participate in this study because you may have some experience as part of a high-control relationship, group or organization.

The study involves a 2-part anonymous survey to fill out based on your lived experience, taken at your convenience on this website. This survey may last up to 30 minutes. You will have the opportunity after you complete the study to contact us if you wish to be interviewed for a retelling of your story of time in a cult or high-control group. This is entirely voluntary.

The information you provide will be kept strictly confidential. The informed consent forms and other identifying information will be kept separate from the data. All materials will be kept on an encrypted Google Drive. The Zoom recordings will be listened to only by myself, my advisor, and research assistants, who have signed a Professional Assistance Confidentiality Agreement. Any records that would identify you as a participant in this study, such as informed consent forms, will be destroyed by the research team approximately three years after the study is completed.

We hope to publish the results of this research in a peer reviewed journal and possibly in subsequent journals, books, other publications and presentations.

No compensation will be provided for participation; however, some participants find it beneficial to learn about the tactics and strategies used by high-control groups and talk about their lived experience. In addition, you may develop greater personal awareness of undue influence, thought reform, and mind control by participating in this study. The risks to you are considered minimal, however there is a possibility that you may experience emotional discomfort or distress during or after your participation linked to recalling your experiences.

You may withdraw from this study at any time by exiting the quiz or declining an offer to be interviewed without penalty. Incomplete surveys are not recorded or retained.

If you have any questions about any aspect of this study or your involvement, please ask before continuing to complete the study. You may also contact the supervising faculty if you have questions or concerns about your participation in this study (see contact information below). The supervising faculty has provided contact information at the bottom of this form. If you have questions or concerns about your rights as a research participant, contact the Fielding Graduate University IRB by email at irb@fielding.edu or by telephone at 805-898-4033.

I acknowledge that I have read and understood this informed consent information and by clicking the link below agree to my voluntary participation.