RES500 2 SLP

Drug Addiction and Criminal Behavior

M2 SLP Assignment

RES500 – Research Methods for Health Science

Dr. Kristy Hamilton

Trident University International

February 6, 2019

Running head: DRUG ADDICITON AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR 4

DRUG ADDICTION AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR 5

Drug Addiction and Criminal Behavior

Remember to write your brief introduction section on the topic above. This it the title of your work (and proposed study). The introduction was missing here.

Research Question (RQ), Hypotheses, Target Population, and Design

RQ. Is there a relationship between drug addiction (IV) and criminal behavior (DV) among U.S. males aged 20 and older?

What is the relation between drug use and crime? (this is not the two core concepts of the topic, use the one above in all SLPAs).

Target population. U.S. males aged 20 and older.

Design. Retrospective cohort.

Evidence Table

Below are five publications on the topic. The prospective cohort was selected as a study design for this SLPA based on Swartz’s (1999) article on the topic as shown in the Evident Table below.

When planning a scientific research study one of the most essential steps is specifying the research hypotheses (Farrugia, Petrisor, Farrokhyar, & Bhandari, 2010).

Selected Design: Retrospective Cohort

This proposed study views to investigate the relationship between drug addiction (IV) and criminal behavior and selected the retrospective cohort design after conducting a literature review on the topic displayed in the Evidence table. and whether the relationship is constant, the nest study design will be cohort studies. Cohort study design involves the study of individuals exposed to the presumed risk factor and another group that is not exposed to the risk to determine the disease occurrence (Meirik, 2017). The comparison is made between the incidence of exposed and nonexposed groups (Meirik, 2017). The incidence risk, is used to evaluate whether the exposure and the disease are related (Meirik, 2017). Cohort studies can take a retrospective or prospective form (Citation?). A retrospective cohort study is used to study both the outcome and the exposure, which have already occurred before the outset of the study while in a prospective cohort study is where the study subjects have been followed for some time, and the outcomes recorded (Meirik, 2017). To tackle the research question on the relationship between drug use and crime, a cohort study will be appropriate, especially the retrospective cohort study since there is an available study on the relationship between drug use and criminal behaviors. Using this study design will help in determining the relationship between crime and drug use and whether available evidence to support the claim is sufficient (Swartz, 1999).

Retrospective Cohort Study Components

The proposed retrospective study will recruit subjects (non-randomized population) according to exposure status (i.e., exposure: drug addiction (IV)) and will examine two cohorts: 1) exposed (drug addicts) and 2) nonexposed (nondrug addicts). It will compare incidence of disease (e.g., outcome of interest = DV: criminal behavior) in the two cohorts retrospectively (i.e., back in time/ historically from past to present). In the case of retrospective cohort design, the outcome has occurred already (present). At present, the possible outcomes of the study will be: 1) exposed with outcome (i.e., drug addicts with criminal behavior); 2) exposed without outcome (i.e., drug addicts without criminal behavior); 3) nonexposed with outcome (i.e., nondrug addicts with criminal behavior); and 4) nonexposed without outcome (i.e., nondrug addicts without criminal behavior). Historical data collection (from past to present) will be obtained from databases/medical/psychiatric records; and data analyses will provide study’s results based on RQ/hypotheses/ main IV and DV, and secondary IVs.

Outcome status possibilities

Visual Diagram of the Retrospective Cohort

Study’s Main

IV and DV

Drug addicts

w/ criminal behavior

Cohort 1

Exposed

Drug addicts

Exposure:

(IV)

Drug addiction

Drug addicts

w/o criminal behavior

Compare cohorts regarding outcome

status

Target Population

U.S. males aged 20 and older

Outcome:

(DV)

Criminal behavior

Nondrug addicts

w/o criminal behavior

Timeline

PAST

PRESENT

Cohort 2

nonexposed

Nondrug addicts

Nondrug

addicts

w/criminal behavior

The aim of the study is to decide the study participants who are exposed to drug use. Participants should be free of the results under investigation; hence, they should be potential to provide an outcome (Valdez, 2007). A representative sample of the general population among the African American communities who have been exposed to drug use will be used as the study subjects (Valdez, 2007). (in retrospective cohort, you already know the possible outcomes).

Data on exposure. In the beginning, each level of exposure is measured and regular assessments are carried out at intervals during the follow-up period (Valdez, 2007). In cases where the cohort study involves several exposures, they should be considered simultaneously (Barria, 2018). Data may be obtained through personal interviews or questionnaire, reviews of records, medical examination and environmental survey (Håkansson, 2018).

Comparison group. When the internal comparison is used, the cohort study involves only one cohort or the study is subdivided (Valdez, 1997). External comparison occurs when there is more than one cohort to be compared in the study (Valdez, 1997). The study may also take a comparison with the general population where there is no comparison group available (Valdez,1997).

Follow-up. The follow-up on this type of study is a major challenge which requires time and cost in ensuring regular updates from the cohort members on exposures and confounders are measured (Valdez, 2007). Outcome data on follow-up can be obtained through the mailed questionnaire, periodical medical examination, telephone calls, reviewing records, personal interviews, and surveillance of death records (Håkansson, 2018). The last component is an analysis of the cohort studies which involve the use of rate ratio or risk of the disease to compare the exposed cohort with the unexposed cohort (Valdez, 2007).

Experimental or Observational

Observational study designs are those where researchers do observe the effect of the treatment, risk factor or any other intervention without changing the individuals exposed or unexposed to it (Howick, 2014). A retrospective cohort study is an observational research designed used by the researcher to study a group of people linked in some way (Howick, 2014), for instance, the relationship between people who use drugs, and those involved in crime in a given time frame among African American communities. Experimental study designs refer to instances where researchers have to introduce an intervention then study the effects (Thiese, 2014). Some of the examples of experimental studies include a randomized controlled trial (Thiese, 2014).

Advantages and Disadvantages: Retrospective Cohort Design

Advantages. Quick, cheap, fast, based on databases for data collection.

Disadvantages. Prone to biases: election, recall, information/misclassification.

The main strength of a cohort study is that standardization of outcome or criteria is possible, since the study minimizes the influence of confounding variables given that subjects can be matched (Ahn, 2016). The study allows for clarity of temporal sequence between the exposure and the outcome, this is so because the subjects in cohort study are disease-free at the start of the observation before the exposure is established (Citation?). The study allows for the calculation of incidence hence it is possible to calculate the relative risk or risk ratio, absolute risk, attributable proportion and risk difference Using a cohort study, it is possible to facilitate the study of rare exposures such as the adverse effects of drugs (Citation?). Compared to case-control, a cohort study has minimum recall bias during enrollment.

Using the cohort method to study the relationship between drug addiction (IV) and criminal behavior (DV) drug use and crime have various limitations (Pierce, Hayhurst, Bird, Hickman, Seddon, Dunn, & Millar, 2017). The method is subject to losses follow-up; hence, the outcome may be conclusive (Pierce et al., 2017). Cohort study requires a large sample to provide a better link between the exposure and the outcome, hence failure to obtain willing individuals as cohorts for the research question may hinder its outcome (LaMorte, 2016). The method is time-consuming and costly to carry out as it requires follow-up, which at times is prone to bias (LaMorte, 2016).

Biases (see above)

Cohort design is subject to different bias (Pierce et al., 2017).

Follow-up. The major source of bias losses to follow-up whereby a cohort member may migrate, die or refuse to proceed with the study (LaMorfe, 2016). Furthermore, losses to follow-up can also be associated with exposure or outcome (LaMorfe, 2016).

Selection. Selection bias is another type of bias prevalent in a retrospective cohort study (LaMorfe, 2016). This type of bias is common in cases where individuals are required to submit informed consent to participate in the study (LaMorfe, 2016). Selection bias can be introduced during the case ascertainment or completeness of follow-up, this type of bias can be minimized by making sure a high level of follow-ups is made in all study groups (LaMorfe, 2016).

Healthy worker. Another bias is the healthy worker effect which affects the occupational studies where disease rate among people of a given occupation group is compared with the outside population (LaMorfe, 2016). This bias can be minimized by selecting a group of workers from different jobs at different locations (LaMorfe, 2016).

Conclusion

The proposed retrospective cohort study will obtain retrospective data on the target population based on the main IV (i.e., exposure: drug addiction) and DV (i.e., outcome: criminal behavior) and will look back in time, from past to present, to investigate the associations between variables knowingly that the outcome (i.e., criminal behavior) has already occurred in the cohorts. The most difficult research in epidemiological research is assessing the associations between disease and exposure derived from observational studies (Meirik, (2017).

provide data pertaining to a cohort group that has been exposed to drug use and had an outcome of committing a crime, and the cohort group involved in drug users who did not commit a crime (Barria, 2018). When attempting the cause and effect relationship, true experimental design is often the best measure (Meirik, (2017). The study of the outcome of drug abuse to African American communities’ leads to criminal behaviors is a good example of a cohort study.

References: Utilize publications and credible sources on the topic (do not use unrelated topics such as Ahn (2016)). Farrugia et al. (2010) was a source from M1SLPA, not M2SLPA. You could improve the accuracy, completeness, and APA formatting of sources below and add (Purdue Owl online guide).

References

Ahn, C. (2016). Biostatistics used for clinical investigation of coronary artery disease. Translational Research in Coronary Artery Disease, B978-0-12-802385-3.00019-X.

Barría, R. M. (2018). Introductory chapter: The contribution of cohort studies to health

sciences. Cohort Studies in Health Sciences. doi:10.5772/intechopen.80178

Farrugia, P., Petrisor, B., Farrokhyar, F., & Bhandari, M. (2010). Research questions,

hypotheses and objectives. Canadian Journal of Surgery, 53(4), 278-281

Håkansson, C. M. (2018). Substance use, criminal recidivism, and mortality in criminal justice clients: A comparison between men and women. Journal of Addiction, 1689637. doi:10.1155/1689637

Hansana, V. (2011). Cohort-study. University of Health Sciences.

Havnes, I. A. (2014). The role of substance use and morality in violent crime - A qualitative study among imprisoned individuals in opioid maintenance treatment. Harm Reduction Journal, 11, 24. doi:10.1186/1477.

Howick, J. (2014). Introduction to study design. Public Health Support Unit., Retrieved from