Name of the institution responsible for the study: University of Leicester

Researcher: Damien Appleton, Clinical Neuropsychologist

Email address: msmalecarers@gmail.com

What is this study about? This research is asking male carers of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to complete a series of online questionnaires investigating levels of social support, carer burden, willingness to seek help and attributes related to gender role.

What will I have to do? If you decide to complete this survey, you will be required to complete it in one sitting, which means you cannot save your responses half way through and come back to it later to complete. It should take approximately 30 minutes to complete and your time is greatly appreciated. The link to the survey is:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3VP5BKM

What will be done with my responses? Your responses will be anonymous and no identifiable information will be included in any reports that are produced with the results of this survey. The responses will be stored securely on a computer that only the research team has access to and all data will be destroyed after 7 years. Should you wish to withdraw at any time, you have every right to do so and you should contact the researchers to request this.

Consent: By choosing to complete this survey and submit your results, you are agreeing to the terms above and consenting to your anonymous data to be used in a research report. You are also confirming that you are a male carer of a loved one with MS.

Who can take part? Any male over the age of 18 who is a carer of a loved one with multiple sclerosis. Should you wish to do so, you can choose to provide your contact details in the form of an email address to be entered into a draw to win one of four £50/$50 Amazon vouchers.

Who has reviewed this study? The University of Leicester Research Ethics Committee.

If completing this survey causes you any emotional distress, please contact your GP to talk through support options that may be available to you.

We thank you again for your time taken to complete this survey. Should you wish to complete the questionnaires in written form, please contact the researchers and this can be arranged.

Contact Details: Please email msmalecarers@gmail.com for more information.