quantatative reasoning

Quantitative Reasoning Mod1 Case

William Gates

TUI

Dr. Shantel Anderson

Assignment

Being able to read and understand research studies requires quantitative reasoning. The purpose of this assignment is to help you get accustomed to identifying the various parts of a research study. Be sure to review the module homepage and background information before you begin any of the assignments in this course.

In general, the best way to approach the assignment is to read the article through rather rapidly in order to get an impression of its general content; then read it more slowly and make appropriate notes so you can complete the assignment as directed below.

Review the instructions and the ASSIGNMENT EXPECTATIONS below, and then read this research article, retrieved from Proquest:

Van Voorhees, Benjamin W, MD, MPH, Gollan, J., PhD., & Fogel, J., PhD. (2012). Pilot study of internet-based early intervention for combat-related mental distress. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 49(8), 1175-90. Retrieved from Proquest.

Your task is to identify and summarize the main points of the research study according to the directions below. This is different than a typical essay. Read the whole assignment and ALL instructiions before beginning your paper.

Organize your paper using these headings, in this order. Your paper should look like the following list/outline, with these same subheadings listed in the same order. Just provide the information for each section.

I already know that the authors of the article can identify their purpose, hypothesis, etc. so you will not earn credit for copying the information from the article. Show me what you understand after reading the article. Explain each section very briefly so I can see what you learned from reading the article. Your summary of each section must be written in your own words. Do not copy or simply paraphrase.

Reference: This should be so accurate that the reader can go directly from your abstract to the original article. Give a complete APA style reference. (Hint: the reference above is in APA style, so your reference should like like that)

Purpose of the study: Sometimes the purpose is stated as an aim, an objective, or a goal. At other times, it is incorporated in a statement of a problem, leaving the reader to infer the purpose has a stated problem, a purpose, or both. If the purpose is inferred, you may state it in your own words.

Participants: The term “participant” refers to the sample studied. Under this heading, you should include a description of ages, sexes, socio-economic status, school grade, mental level, number, and/or any other demographic characteristics given in the article to describe the particular sample used in the study.

Type of Study: Was it a quantitative or a qualitative study? Or were both types of data used? Please explain why you think so.

Hypothesis: What is the hypothesis of the study? If the hypothesis is inferred, you may state it in your own words.

Procedure: Sometimes the procedure is referred to as the “method” and includes a description of control techniques, measuring devices, materials used and ways of proceeding, in attempting to achieve the purpose or purposes of the study.

Statistical Tests: Identify the statistical tests used in the article; examples might be chi square (x2), t-test, f-test, Mann-Whitney, etc.

Results or Findings: What actual data was reported by the author of the study? Explain the results -- don't just copy them.

Conclusions: What does the author of the research article believe the results or findings mean?

Critique: In each of the previous sections, you have been reporting what the article said. Now, I want you to think critically about what you've learned, and give me your own thoughts. Briefly describe your reaction to the article. For example, was it well-organized? Easy or difficult to understand (please explain why)? Did it present diverse perspectives about the topic? Don't limit yourself to just these questions -- be reflective about what you read.

Reference:

The article investigates an early intervention based on the internet that combines online cognitive-behavioral therapy with electronic peer-to-peer support for the sake of promoting mental well-being and health among soldier veterans. The researchers carried out the first phase clinical trial, which involved 50 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, through the use of pre and post single-arm design. From here, they measured both the feasibility as well as changes in the symptoms of mental health such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, attitudes towards seeking of treatment at weeks 12, 8, 4 and at baseline and functional status. The veterans enrolled came from a diverse group. 66 percent had an income less than $30000 per year, 90 percent were male, 88 percent had been treated for depression before and 26% were from an ethnic minority. Respondents completed an average of 4 of 6 lessons. The results showed that the depression score and posttraumatic stress disorder declined from baseline to week twelve. On the other hand, the willingness of the respondents to accept diagnosis improved significantly. The limitation in this research was the lack of control group. However, it was clear that the Internet-based program that combines CBT-based coping skills training with peer-to-peer support showed potential feasibility (Van Voorhees, et al., 2012).

Purpose of the study:

The article investigates an early intervention based on the internet that combines online cognitive-behavioral therapy with electronic peer-to-peer support for the sake of promoting mental well-being and health among soldier veterans.

Participants:

The researchers carried out the first phase clinical trial, which involved 50 Afghanistan and Iraq veterans, through the use of pre and post single-arm design. From here, they measured both the feasibility as well as changes in the symptoms of mental health such as posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, attitudes towards seeking of treatment at weeks 12, 8, 4 and at baseline and functional status. The veterans enrolled came from a diverse group. 66 percent had an income less than $30000 per year, 90 percent were male, 88 percent had been treated for depression before and 26% were from an ethnic minority (Van Voorhees, et al., 2012).

Type of Study:

The type of study used in this research was quantitative. This is because quantitative data was collected through the use of self-report questionnaires filled at baseline as well as weeks 4, 8 and 12. The utilization of the intervention Website was monitored. This was done by recording the time that each participant spent on the internet, the number of characters he or she typed, and the number of logins. The electronic information that the participants sent or received was also recorded. The communications were monitored to assess the social workers’ and peers’ adherence to program (Van Voorhees, et al., 2012).

Hypothesis:

The hypothesis of the study is that early intervention based on the internet that combines online cognitive-behavioral therapy with electronic peer-to-peer promotes mental well-being and health among soldier veterans.

Procedure:

The demographic characteristics were obtained by asking the participants to give their sex, current age, branch of service and race/ethnicity. The years of education as well as the highest educational level achieved were used to show the socioeconomic status.

Feasibility was assessed by measuring the adherence to program, socio-cultural relevance of the program and satisfaction with the program. Adherence was evaluated through the use of the number of completed learning lessons, chats and the total number of characters that the participants typed in the chats (Van Voorhees, et al., 2012).

Symptoms were measured using three widely accepted instruments with established reliability and validity. These are the general distress and depressed mood, PTSD symptoms as well as functional status. Last, a 12- Item Short Form Health Survey was used to measure functional status. The mental and physical components of the instrument were taken at baseline as well as weeks 4, 8 and 12.

Statistical Tests:

The study used paired t-tests in comparing the continuous measures. In addition, McNemar test was used for the categorical measures.

Results or Findings:

The results showed that the depression score and posttraumatic stress disorder declined from baseline to week twelve. On the other hand, the willingness of the respondents to accept diagnosis improved significantly.

Conclusions:

From it was clear that the Internet-based program that combines CBT-based coping skills training with peer-to-peer support showed potential feasibility.

Critique:

Despite the fact that the article is well organized, and the research was well conducted, it has a single limitation, which involves the lack of control group.

Reference:

Van Voorhees, Benjamin W, MD, MPH, Gollan, J., PhD.,&Fogel, J., PhD. (2012). Pilot study of internet-based early intervention for combat-related mental distress. Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, 49(8), 1175-90. Retrieved from Proquest.