Hello Whiteblaze community! I first want to thank the entire community for everything that I have learned in preparing for my 2016 thru hike. February 18th is almost here and I'm extremely excited to get started. I also come asking for some help with a research project my colleague and I are doing along with my adventure. We are both psychologists at Shenandoah University located in Virginia (I'm a clinical psychologist, he is a cognitive psychologists). Please see the official announcement below and the link to the survey. THANK YOU!! - Rodney
We are conducting a large survey study to examine how thru-hiking impacts individuals in terms of their personality, stress and depression symptoms, and skills in recognizing the emotions of others. Participation in this survey study would involve completing several short surveys at two different times: once prior to thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail and once after thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. We have carefully designed procedures to limit the amount of time and effort needed for participation, and estimate that you will only need to devote approximately 30 minutes to complete the surveys each time. We hope to gain valuable insight into the benefits of embarking on a thru-hike experience. As an incentive for your participation, all participants of this study will be placed in a raffle for a chance to win one of four $100.00 REI gift certificates.
You must be at least 18 years old to participate and the study. All of the survey questions will be administered on-line and all of your responses will be kept confidential. If you are interested in participating in this study, please go to the following link for more information and to complete the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AT_Prehike_Survey
Please feel free to contact either of the researchers listed below if you have any questions or concerns:
Dr. Rodney Bragdon (AT thru-hiking class of 2016) can be reached by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (540) 409-1975. Dr. Bragdon will be hiking the AT as part of this research project beginning in February 2016, so his availability will be limited.
Dr. Mark Chan can be reached by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (540) 545-7284.