The quantitative article that is analyzed in this paper is by Stone and Rydberg (2019) titled “Parenthood, maturation, and distance: Examining parenthood transition effects on maturation domains and subsequent reoffending.” The background of this study is an assumption that when individuals become parents, their lifestyle changes, which has an effect on their overall wellbeing and perception of themselves. Hence, the researcher’s focus was on examining the changes that occur in one’s life after they become a parent to help these individuals better prepare for parenthood and cope with its difficulties. This study is significant because it helps future parents get ready to have a child and align their expectations with reality. This paper will analyze the quantitative study by Stone and Rydberg (2019) and discuss the implications of this study on nursing practice.
The research question of this study is linked to the effect of parenthood on individual’s lives. Thus, Stone and Rydberg (2019) aimed to examine whether the transition towards being a parent affects people’s maturation. The hypothesis is that parenthood impacts the maturation and offending of individuals who have a previous criminal record. The authors have written a literature review integrating the previous research into criminology, healthcare, and psychology and selected the “role transition” theory as their theoretical basis.
The internal and external validity has been tested using Cronbach’s alpha and pre and post-tests. The sample was selected using the data from the Pathways to Desistance study and a random sampling approach. In total, Stone and Rydberg (2019) analyzed responses from 1221 participants, 1062 of which were men. The data was collected through a survey design and analyzed using statistical analysis software. In general, the methods for checking the validity of the results are sufficient and adequate for proving the author’s conclusions.
The legal and ethical issues were addressed by concealing the personal information of the participants and by providing them with the agreement forms where the purpose and the type of information that will be collected were outlined. The reliability and validity were tested using SPSS software with frequency-based measures. The conclusions show mixed results, suggesting that parenthood does have an effect on individuals’ wellbeing; however, it is not a strong one. Hence the implication is that parenthood affects people differently, and more research is needed into the topic.
Other authors have examined this topic as well; for example, Martins (2020) wrote a paper titled “Transition to parenthood: Consequences on health and wellbeing. A qualitative study.” In this study, the author suggests that parenthood adversely impacts the psychological wellbeing of individuals (Martins, 2020). Similar results are shown by Badr and Zauszniewski (2017), who argue that postpartum fatigue may have a detrimental effect on the mother’s health, both physical and psychological. Thus, the implication of the study by Stone and Rydberg (2019) for the nursing practice is that nurses who work with people who have recently become parents should provide them with psychological support and show empathy since this process is complex and affects the maturity of the individuals.
In summary, the article by Stone and Rydberg (2019) is adequately written and presents the results of their quantitative study. The use of validity and reliability measures as well as the research design suggest that the conclusions of this study are valid. However, considering the mixed results produced by this research, one can argue that an improvement to the methodology and design can be made.
References
Badr, H.A. & Zauszniewski, J.A. (2017). Meta-analysis of the predictive factors of postpartum fatigue. Applied Nursing Research, 36(122), 7.
Martins, C. A. (2019). Transition to parenthood: Consequences on health and wellbeing. A qualitative study. EnfermerĂa ClĂnica (English Edition), 29(4), 225–233. Web.
Stone, R., & Rydberg, J. (2019). Parenthood, maturation, and desistance: Examining parenthood transition effects on maturation domains and subsequent reoffending. Journal of Developmental and Life-Course Criminology, 5(3), 387–414. Web.