Research plays a central role in the advancement of the nursing practice, especially at a time when evidence-based practice centered on the patient is gaining popularity in the profession. Research keeps nurses updated on the best practices that could be applied in various scenarios through retrieving, reading, critiquing, and applying emerging evidence because new information is always coming up.
As such, research helps nurses to respond to the ever-changing patient needs, populations, government regulations, and healthcare environment. This paper discusses two types of research – quantitative and systematic review to understand how these studies are conducted by analyzing two articles.
Describing Quantitative Research
Quantitative research is a method of scientific study whereby data is collected and analyzed statistically using a measuring instrument (Sheard, 2018). In other words, empirical data is collected in quantitative research based on a scenario that can be measured accurately and precisely. The major characteristics of quantitative study include objectivity, the aspect of testing theories using numbers and statistics, the application of deductive reasoning, concise and narrow data, and it narrows down to a singular reality that could be measured and generalized. Statistical methods are used to measure and analyze quantitative data.
The phenomena selected for this evidence-based practice (EBP) is guided by the PICO question: – In a population (P) of adolescents aged between 10 and 19 presenting to emergency departments or their NPs, what is the impact of implying routine depression and suicidal evaluations (I), in comparison to not implementing intervention and preserving the standard procedures, on improving the mental health of adolescents (C) with depression and suicidal thoughts and ideations (O).
In this case, the type of quantitative data that could be could be collected include the available suicidal evaluations for adolescents, their accessibility, various barriers and facilitators of professional help, and therapeutic relationships with professionals among adolescents. This data would be collected through questionnaires and interviews with the participants.
Article Discussion
Haand, R., & Shuwang, Z. (2020). The relationship between social media addiction and depression: A quantitative study among university students in Khost, Afghanistan. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 780-786.
The research of this study was clearly stated – “to investigate the correlation between social media addiction and depression among university students in the Khost province of Afghanistan” (Haand & Shuwang, 2020, p. 781). A descriptive study design was used to examine the relationship between depression and social media. In the sampling procedure, probability sampling was applied and Yamane’s formula was used in calculating the sample size. 384 undergraduate students from one public and two private universities were initially chosen for the study, but 55 were excluded leaving a final sample of 329 participants.
Data were collected using a 46-item self-administered questionnaire, which had been pre-tested using a sample of 11 participants. To prove the reliability of the instrument, a pilot test was conducted on 42 students. Data were analyzed quantitatively using SPSS 21. In reliability analysis, the selected instruments of data collection were found to have internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha > 0.8. According to Mohajan (2017), “Reliability is referred to the stability of findings, whereas validity is represented the truthfulness of findings” (p. 58).
In other words, the instruments measured what was intended to measure, which underscores validity. Skewness and kurtosis values for the measures were between -2 and +2 meaning that the data distribution was not perfectly normal, but values of ±2 are acceptable.
The results revealed a positive correlation between depression and social media addiction. Specifically, it was established that depression was a major predictor of social media addiction. These findings have important clinical implications, especially when designing intervention tools for depression among adolescents.
A study by Keles et al. (2020) showed a positive correlation between social media addiction and anxiety, depression, and psychological distress among adolescents, which confirms the current study. Therefore, addressing the issue of social media addiction would help mental healthcare professionals to deal with one of the underlying risk factors of depression and other related problems.
The level of evidence for this article is I because the independent variable was manipulated, and the participants were randomly selected using probability sampling. The study did not have a control group, but the design did not require one. The grade of recommendation is high quality. According to Hall and Roussel (2016), such articles are consistent with generalizable results obtained by using a sufficient sample size, adequate controls, definitive conclusions, and thorough scientific evidence.
Even though this article did not have controls and recommendations, it meets the criterion to be classified as having level I evidence level and of high quality based on quality guides. Therefore, this article is relevant for the EBP project as it contains reliable and valid data on the relationship between social media addiction and depression among adolescents.
Radez, J., Reardon, T., Creswell, C., Lawrence, P. J., Evdoka-Burton, G., & Waite, P. (2020). Why do children and adolescents (not) seek and access professional help for their mental health problems? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 183-211.
The purpose of this study is clearly stated – to provide an up-to-date systematic review “of all studies where children and adolescents were asked about barriers and facilitators to help-seeking and accessing professional support in relation to a wide range of mental health difficulties, to inform ongoing and future interventions designed to improve treatment access” (Radez et al., 2020, p. 183).
The research design for this study is a systematic review of existing literature on why children and adolescents do not seek and access professional help to address their mental health. Data was collected using PRISMA guidelines.
The initial search strategy used inclusion/exclusion criteria based on parent-perceived facilitators and barriers that their children face when accessing professional help for their mental illnesses. The search terms included:
- barriers/facilitators,
- help-seeking/ accessing,
- mental health, and
- children/adolescents and parents” (Radez et al., 2020, p. 184).
The databases used to conduct this search were Embase, the Web of Science Core Collection, PsycINFO, and Medline. Articles were included in the review if the participants were less than 18 years old and reported facilitators or barriers to seeking and accessing professional assistance for mental-health-related issues.
The initial search generated 3683 studies and after removing duplicates and articles reviewed by independent reviewers, 53 studies were selected for inclusion in this study, with 22 quantitative, 30 quantitative, and one mixed-method study. Two independent reviewers extracted data using a form by Reardon et al. with minor changes to reflect that the participants were children and adolescents, as opposed to parents.
To ascertain the reliability of the studies, quality ratings for the 53 studies were carried out using checklists that addressed the research question, study design, sampling strategy, and data analysis. A narrative synthesis of data was conducted.
Overall, “the quality of the studies varied, ranging from ‘low’ to ‘high’, with 65% of quantitative and 52% of qualitative studies rated as ‘high’ quality, and 4% of quantitative and 13% of qualitative studies rated as ‘low’ quality” (Radez et al., 2020, p. 187). The low quality associated with the qualitative studies was related to methodological issues. The clinical implication for these findings is that focus should be directed toward addressing the various barriers that prevent adolescents from accessing professional help for their mental health problems.
The results showed four major barriers to accessing professional help for children and adolescents with mental health problems. First, these individuals cited the lack of knowledge concerning where to find help or whom to talk to in the process. Second, social factors, such as perceived stigma and expected embarrassment associated with mental sickness also played a major role as a barrier. Third, young people cited the perceived lack of confidentiality when engaging with professionals. The possibility of trusting a stranger and sharing personal information also contributed to this barrier.
Lastly, systematic and structural barriers, such as lack of time, transportation, and costs associated with mental health care were cited as barriers to seeking professional help. This article had level 1 of evidence and the grade of recommendation was high. This means that the evidence used is strong (Movsisyan et al., 2018) and thus the article could be used in the EBP project.
Applicability to Practice and Future Research
The findings of the studies used in this paper would play a significant role in influencing my nursing practice by supporting efficiency, timeliness, and patient-centered care. Burches and Burches (2020) define effectiveness as “the ability of an intervention to have a meaningful effect on patients in normal clinical conditions” (p. 1). As such, the first article would help in designing an intervention measure that addresses social media addiction to have a meaningful effect on the affected adolescents’ depression, hence effectiveness. On the other hand, one aspect of timeliness seeks to ensure that patients have access to care.
Based on this argument, by highlighting the various barriers to access to professional care for mental problems among adolescents, the second article provides a framework through which such barriers could be overcome and ensure access to such care services. Finally, patient-centered care aims at having patients participate actively in their medical care by cooperating with professionals.
In this case, both articles engaged the relevant group of individuals (adolescents) as the ones principally affected by the problem of depression as described in the PICO question of the EBP project. As such, it becomes easy for practitioners to understand this problem based on the evidence presented by the affected group to ultimately promote patient-based care.
Conclusion
Adolescent depression is a major health issue, and the fact that this group of individuals rarely seeks professional help for mental illnesses compounds the problem. However, this problem could be addressed through research to reveal evidence-based practices that could be applied in solving this issue indicated in the PICO question of the EBP project.
This paper has shown that both quantitative and systematic reviews could be used in gathering relevant information about this problem. The selected articles promote the principles of timeliness, effectiveness, and patient-centered care as discussed in this paper.
References
Burches, E., & Burches, M. (2020). Efficacy, effectiveness, and efficiency in the health care: the need for an agreement to clarify its meaning. International Archives of Public Health Community Medicine, 4(1), 1-3.
Haand, R., & Shuwang, Z. (2020). The relationship between social media addiction and depression: A quantitative study among university students in Khost, Afghanistan. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 780-786.
Hall, H.R., & Roussel, L.A. (2016). Evidence-based practice: An integrative approach to research, administration, and practice. (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett.
Keles, B., McCrae, N., & Grealish, A. (2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79-93.
Mohajan, H. K. (2017). Two criteria for good measurements in research: Validity and reliability. Annals of Spiru Haret University. Economic Series, 17(4), 59-82.
Movsisyan, A., Dennis, J., Rehfuess, E., Grant, S., & Montgomery, P. (2018). Rating the quality of a body of evidence on the effectiveness of health and social interventions: A systematic review and mapping of evidence domains. Research Synthesis Methods, 9(2), 224–242.
Radez, J., Reardon, T., Creswell, C., Lawrence, P. J., Evdoka-Burton, G., & Waite, P. (2020). Why do children and adolescents (not) seek and access professional help for their mental health problems? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies. European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 30, 183-211.
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