Introduction
The field of psychology allows for applying a variety of research designs. Within the realm of quantitative methods, there are those of experimental and non-experimental nature, enabling to obtain various kinds of data. Therefore, the analysis and critique of the current quantitative research studies allow for retrieving valuable knowledge about the practical application of specific designs with proper attention paid to their advantages and disadvantages.
The study chosen for this critique is entitled “The effects of the relaxation response on nurses’ level of anxiety, depression, well-being, work-related stress, and confidence to teach patients” conducted by Calder Calisi (2017) and published in the Journal of Holistic Nursing. The purpose of this critique paper is to investigate how effectively the quantitative design is used for testing the hypotheses and answering the research questions.
The research by Calder Calisi (2017) aims at studying the effects of relaxation techniques on the reduction of stress and anxiety in nursing staff. More specifically, the research question asks how effective the Relaxation Response (RR) techniques are for nurses’ stress and anxiety reduction and their distribution of the methods among patients. The study is two-fold and aims at testing two hypotheses.
Firstly, the author assumes that nurses using RR will improve their well-being by reducing the level of anxiety and work-related stress. Secondly, it is hypothesized that “nurses may have enhanced confidence in teaching this technique to their patients to help them better cope with the stress of their illness” (Calder Calisi, 2017, p. 322). The researcher provides an extensive literature review to draw on the background information that became the basis for the research.
This information demonstrates that the leading cause of nursing staff shortage is termination due to stress and anxiety caused by job responsibilities. Therefore, it is important to implement self-nurturing interventions that would help nurses cope with stress and remain in the profession. The Relaxation Response technique is described concerning its developer Dr. Herbert Benson; the rationale for the choice of the technique is presented (Calder Calisi, 2017). The author uses up-to-date, relevant literature to reference the claims and theoretical reasoning without apparent bias.
Summary of Methods
The quantitative study was experimental since the participants were separated into two groups, including a control group and an intervention group. According to Newman (2016), experimental designs utilize to control and experimental conditions to test the causes of behavior. Therefore, the relaxation interventions, the effect of which was being tested by the researchers, were applied under experimental conditions. A randomized sampling method was utilized to engage nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital cardiac units voluntarily. Upon the approval and permission of the nurse manager, the staff voluntarily joined the study. Overall, forty-six participants were enrolled in the research.
The researcher used validated instruments to collect data from the participants. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Semantic differential scales were used to collect data from the participants of the study (Calder Calisi, 2017). The collection of the information was conducted at the pre-experimental and post-experimental phases to compare the effects in control and intervention groups. To analyze data, the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) framework was utilized. Descriptive statistics with the means and standard deviation of the study variables were applied. An independent-sample t-test was used at the beginning of the experiment, and the paired-sample t-test was utilized after the intervention. As for the validity and reliability of the study, the extensive statistical analyses imply the adequacy of measurements.
Summary of Results
The study managed to obtain statistically significant results derived from the second hypothesis concerning the level of confidence of the nurses upon the implementation of the relaxation technique. The author explicitly states that the first hypothesis related to the decrease of stress and anxiety level in nursing staff was not statistically significant. The practical significance was estimated, and the technique proved to be of great value for the nurses since they felt more confident when educating their patients about the relaxation technique to cope with stress and anxiety.
Moreover, the researcher’s conclusion follows logically from the statistical results because the implications of the successfully tested hypothesis were transferred onto a hospital setting. Indeed, Calder Calisi (2017) states that the study allows for making a logical conclusion that nurses prioritize patients’ needs over theirs, which might be a significant consideration for further research in this field.
Ethical Aspects
In critiqued quantitative research, no ethical issues were explicitly addressed. However, it is implied in the report that personal data other than age, gender, and professional involvement were used for public presentation in the study. No ethics review committee was engaged to validate the ethical issues within the study. Overall, the topic under investigation does not imply substantial consideration of personal information. Also, it does not target any intimidating issues; therefore, no problems concerning ethical aspects were detected.
Evaluation of Study
As the depiction of methods, procedures, results, and implications of the study shows, the researcher used the method of experiment effectively. According to Appelbaum et al. (2018), appropriate utilization of quantitative experimental design involves providing details on sampling techniques. In Calder Calisi’s (2017) study, the sampling procedure for randomized control trials, as well as the procedural descriptions, was explicitly articulated. The strong side of this study is its clear quantitative results that show the statistical significance of the findings. Although only one hypothesis was proved, the overall results are of great significance for future investigations in this sphere.
The limitations of the study include a small sample that does not provide a broader picture of the effectiveness of the tested intervention. Also, as the author states, the limitation of the participants to the nurses of cardiac units only might harm the validity of the findings (Calder Calisi, 2017).
There are no other limitations that might have been detected and not mentioned by the author. The researcher suggests that the increased confidence of nurses in teaching their patients the relaxation techniques demonstrates their predisposition to prioritize the needs of patients before their own, which might be a basis for further research in the nurse-patient relationships area. Consequently, since the research partially fulfilled its goals, the choice of the approach is validated, but a larger sample would have improved the quality of findings.
Conclusion
In summation, the quantitative study by Calder Calisi (2017) utilized experimental design to test the effect of RR on stress reduction in nurses and their confidence when educating patients the relaxation techniques. Relevant sampling procedures, tools for data collection, and statistical analysis software were used to analyze and interpret the results of the study. The findings imply that nurses who undertook the RR have a higher level of confidence when teaching their patients to cope with stress and anxiety. Small sample and limitation to the participants from cardiac units only might bias the results.
However, the research provides a significant basis for future studies in the field of nursing. For example, a quantitative study might be conducted to measure the scope of positive patient outcomes upon the utilization of nurses’ education on stress reduction.
References
Appelbaum, M, Cooper, H., Kline, R. B., Mayo-Wilson, E., Nezu, A. M., & Rao, S. M. (2018). Journal article reporting standards for quantitative research in psychology: The APA publications and communications board task force report. American Psychologist, 73(1), 3-25.
Calder Calisi, C. (2017). The effects of the relaxation response on nurses’ level of anxiety, depression, well-being, work-related stress, and confidence to teach patients. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 35(4), 318-327.
Newman, M. (2016). Research methods in psychology. (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.