Research in nursing
1. To what types of patients do these research conclusions apply? Who was in the study?
The research conclusions in the article authored by Gance-Cleveland (2004) apply to children who live with parents who are suffering from addiction. There were 20 children included in the study, all coming from two high schools.
2. Does the population for this study reflect the types of patients or situations of interest?
Yes, the population for this study reflects the types of patients or situations of interest. It is a common occurrence that a child lives with at least one parent suffering from addiction. The research article stated that there are approximately 27 million children living with addicted parents in the United States alone. Among these documented children, 11 million have been determined to be minors, or less than 18 years of age. The research article is thus very helpful in psychiatric and sociological studies because it provides a description of how children are affected by the addiction of at least one parent in the family.
3. Does the sample in the study fit with the population of interest?
Unfortunately, the sample population described in the research article does not fit the population of interest. There were only 20 children participating in the study and thus this does not fully represent all possible scenarios of what children experience as they live with an addicted parent. It would be more helpful if a larger study population were examined, so that there all possible responses could be gathered and more information could be generated from the investigation. The children who were subjected to interviews or written evaluations also did not fully represent the entire study population of 20 children. It is thus possible that the conclusions derived from the interviews may be skewed or not fully representative of all 20 children included in the research study.
4. Does the approach taken to choosing the sample limit the usefulness of the study?
The approach taken to choosing the study participants limited the usefulness of the study. The basis for inclusion in the study was mainly based on the recommendations of the program administrators and facilitators of the high schools. It may be possible that these academic personnel may be biased with regards to certain children and they could have excluded some children whom did not appeal to their personal preferences.
5. Does the sampling approach fit with the study design?
The sampling approach fits with the study design because it allowed the investigator to collect information about the children through three main methods, namely observations, interviews and written evaluations. These three approaches may generate a holistic view of how these children are affected by their addicted parents.
6. Is the sample size adequate for the study?
The sample size for the study is inadequate because only 20 children were involved in the investigation. In addition, the study only involved two high schools and thus it is possible that the responses of the children reflected their local environment. It could have been better if a multi-center study was conducted in different states, so that the influence of location of the schools could be ruled out. In addition, a multi-center setting for this type of investigation could also prevent socio-economic influences on the response of children living with addicted parents. A bigger study population of at least 1,000 children would possibly generate a more reliable and representative description of children living with addicted parents.
Reference
Gance-Cleveland, B. (2004). Qualitative evaluation of a school-based support group for adolescents with an addicted parent. Nursing Research, 53, 379-386.