Final research paper

Relationship between Mental Health Beliefs and Treatment of PTSD among Veterans

Purpose:

The study is aimed at answering two primary questions;

· What are the primary factors that discourage veterans from seeking medical treatment of PTSD?

· Which are the most relevant interventions that can be put in place to address these variables positively?

Hypothesis: Most veterans do not seek or access medical treatment because of various mental health beliefs, although there are channels that can help and benefit them.

METHODOLOGY

Research design:

The study will be conducted using an experimental research design. The design is the best for this particular investigation as it will help get first-hand and accurate information that is relevant to the research questions. It will facilitate the collection of multiple and distinct data analyzing while creating a reliable and coherent decision when using a survey as the research technique. The design is an appropriate guide when sampling and selecting the best setting to conduct the study. As such, it will be possible to determine the influence of certain variables in this research. The factors to be accessed include stigma, fear, depression, substance use, and individual beliefs.

Participants:

In this particular study, between 500 and 600 participants will be selected, considering that some are likely to withdraw from the surveys. It entails that relevant and adequate information will be obtained from the remaining sample to ensure the credibility and reliability of the research report. Several methods will be used to select the participants to ensure the diversity of ideas and locations. As such, advertisements, emails, and informational flyers will be used to choose interested individuals. These methods are practical and efficient are they will help in gathering many people who are geographically dispersed of which will reduce bias and facilitate the accuracy of the analyzed data. From the interested population, a convenience sampling method will be used to establish the participants willing to participate in the study as per the researcher’s guidelines. It is an appropriate technique as it will enable the participants to make individual decisions without being scrutinized by anyone; thus, this will guarantee accuracy.

The remaining sample will be teamed-up in virtual groups considering that they are geographically dispersed. The intent of using groups is to encourage the participants to interact and share their life experiences regarding the study. In groups of people with similar characteristics, it will be easier for individuals to share their thoughts freely about seeking medical health concerning their mental health. So, the data obtained from each group will be assessed and analyzed to help in making a relevant inference. Moreover, the study is not based on a specific sample's demographics since it will include both male and female veterans who are willing to participate in the surveys. By doing this way, diverse information will be obtained and can probably be analyzed in terms of gender for clarity.

Procedures:

The study will involve online surveys, mostly since the participants will be interacting in virtual groups. In using the online platforms as setting, the participants will have the chance to create trustworthy relationships regardless of their geographical location wherein they will share self-experiences during and after military life. The implication is that the integration will motivate most of them if not all, to give information relevant to the study such that within the period set for the surveys, the goal will have been achieved. The sample is most likely to consist of over 350 participants, who will be assigned to several groups of 25 people each. They must be given ample time to integrate and be familiar with each participant to increase the willingness to share information. As such, the required data will be collected within 12 months, of which the first three will involve mostly familiarization and creating a sense of trust among the group members and the researcher. Within the next nine months, the participants are expected to have shared the required information considering that by this time, they ought to have known and familiarized themselves with every group member. The groups will have ample time to interact because they are expected to meet online for two hours for five sessions per week, implying that they will have ten hours together weekly.

Measures:

In the study, a test will be used to determine the mental statuses of the participants. It is an essential process since it helps in associating the individual's mental health with the response provided regarding seeking medical treatment. As such, a rating survey will be used to establish the participants’ symptoms of PTSD. The average test score of each group will be used to evaluate the relationship with the information acquired regarding the variables being assessed. Thus, it will help in analyzing how the mental condition affects the decision to access medical treatment. The rating survey, which has 17 items those are problems that veterans have concerning their stressing military experience, will be conducted at the end during the study. It is the final stage because it will be used for assessment of the association of the information obtained and the participants' mental to how they access healthcare.

It is important to ensure that ethical guidelines have been complied with during the study. For these reasons, therefore, particular components will be included in the final research report, including the funder's details and approval code from IRAS. Also included will be copies of the sample’s consent forms to demonstrate that everybody participated willingly, and the right procedures were followed during selection. Hence, this will enhance the credibility of the study for further references by researchers with similar ambitions.

References

Title: Mental Health Beliefs and Their Relationship with Treatment Seeking Among U.S. OEF/OIF Veterans.

Dawne, V., Annie, B. F., & Brooke, A. l. D. (2014). Mental Health Beliefs and Their Relationship with Treatment Seeking Among U.S. OEF/OIF Veterans. In the Journal of Traumatic Stress, 27 (307-313). Boston University, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

Poulsen, D. (2017). Nature-based therapy as a treatment for veterans with PTSD: what do we know?journal of public mental health 16(1).

PTSD screening. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.myhealth.va.gov/mhv-portal-web/ptsd-screening#noJavascript

Zalta, A., Held, P., Smith, D, Lofgreen, A., Brenna, M., Rydberg, T., Boley, R., Pollack, M. & Karnik, N. (2018). Evaluating patterns and predictors of symptom change during a three-week intensive outpatient treatment for veterans with PTSD. BMC psychiatry 18(242).