Welcome to VIAL Project: Voice~Insulin~Art~Life.  This website is for people with type 1 diabetes and mild to severe food and body issues, including disordered eating and diagnosed eating disorders, to share original, creative self-expression and connect with each other. This is a research project by Lee Ann Thill, principle investigator and doctoral student in the expressive therapies program at Lesley University.

The purpose of this research is to explore the experience of having type 1 diabetes and food and body issues, and the experience of using arts-based expression on a social media platform.  All user-submitted content will be collected as data, and the data will be qualitatively analyzed to identity themes, in an effort to understand user experience. All users are strongly encouraged to carefully review the Terms of Service, including Informed Consent, which explains how your privacy will be protected, how the data will be used, and possible risks to users.  By agreeing to the Terms of Service, you are consenting to participate in this research project.  You can also refer to the Informed Consent in its entirely, at any time, at the bottom of the Main Page.

Thank you for agreeing to participate in VIAL Project!

Lee Ann Thill, MA, ATR-BC, PA LPC

VIAL Project is a judgment-free zone.  All forms of creative expression are encouraged and welcome.  Every creative act is a reflection of the artist's inner experience, which makes it inherently beautiful.  Making art offers a unique opportunity to practice accepting ourselves.  You are encouraged to use art forms that are familiar, but you are also encouraged to take a safe risk, and try something new.  CREATIVITY is a unique human trait possessed by ALL. Do not waste your gift!

VIAL Project is a pro-recovery website, encouraging personal growth, creative self-expression, personal insight and reflection, and connection to others.  Any material that is deemed contrary to these goals, potentially harmful to individuals working towards health, or otherwise inappropriate or offensive will be moderated.

Study of THE USE OF AN ARTS-BASED SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE FOR PEOPLE WITH TYPE 1 DIABETES AND DISORDERED EATING.

 Principal Investigator: Lee Ann Thill, co-researchers, Robin Cruz, PhD, and Shaun McNiff, PhD, both from program in Expressive Therapies, Lesley University

 You are being asked to volunteer in this study to assist in my doctoral research on the use of an arts-based social-media website for people with type 1 diabetes and disordered eating. The purpose of the study is to develop a better understanding of how people with type 1 diabetes who have disordered eating use an arts-based social media website as a means of coping with this combination of health issues. 

You will register as a user on the website. As part of the registration process, you will complete a questionnaire about your demographics, experience with type 1 diabetes, and experience with disordered eating.  Once registered, you will create a public profile.  You can then submit creative works and interact with other users.  In spring 2013, online focus groups will be offered as a means to share your experience using the website.  All user-submitted content will be data, including the registration questionnaire, written content, artistic content, and focus group content.  This data will be analyzed for themes, and as a way of identifying what users thought was helpful, and what could be improved.

You will be interacting with myself and other registered users of the website. This research project is anticipated to be finished by approximately June, 2013.

I understand that:

• I am volunteering to register and participate on a social media website with a focus on creative expression for people with type 1 diabetes who have disordered eating behavior.

• I will be submitting original, creative works that reflects my experience with diabetes and/or food and body-related issues.

• I am responsible for protecting my identity when submitting public content on the website, including, but not limited to profile photo and username, to the extent that I want to remain anonymous.

• User-submitted content, including posts, comments, profile information, visual artwork, creative writing, audiovisual materials will be used anonymously for purposes of supervision, presentation and/or publication.

• Participating on the website may bring up feelings, thoughts, memories, and physical sensations, either comforting or uncomfortable.  I can participate on the website to whatever degree I am comfortable.  If I experience significant emotional distress, I know that I can refrain from using the website.  If my emotional distress is severe and I feel I am in danger, I have been advised to contact local emergency services in my community.

• This study may or may not benefit me.  I may experience increased self-knowledge and personal insight that I may be able to use in my daily life.  The results of the study may also help to increase public and professional awareness of the needs and experiences of people with type 1 diabetes who have disordered eating.

• All confidential information collected at registration that is not public will be kept on a password protected computer in the researcher’s possession for possible future use.  However, this information will not be used in any future study without communication from the researcher and my electronically submitted consent.

• The researcher/therapist is ethically bound to report, to the appropriate party, any criminal intent or potential harm to self.

• I may choose to withdraw from the study at any time with no negative consequences.

Confidentiality, Privacy and Anonymity:

You have the right to remain anonymous.  If you elect to remain anonymous, we will keep your records private and confidential to the extent allowed by law.  We will use pseudonym identifiers rather than your name on study records.  Your name and other facts that might identify you will not appear when we present this study or publish its results.

If for some reason you do not wish to remain anonymous, you may specifically authorize the use of material that would identify you as a subject in the experiment. You can contact my advisor Dr. Cruz at rcruz@lesley.edu with any additional questions. You may also contact the Lesley University Human Subjects Committee Co-Chairs .

There is a Standing Committee for Human Subjects in Research at Lesley University to which complaints or problems concerning any research project may, and should, be reported if they arise. Contact the Committee Co-Chair Robyn Cruz (rcruz@lesley.edu) at Lesley University, 29 Everett Street, Cambridge Massachusetts, 02138.