Quantitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations Essay

This essay critiques a quantitative research study investigating the effectiveness of cognitive research therapy and internet-based therapy for managing depression in older adults. The study, utilizing a randomized non-inferiority trial with 62 participants, compares treatment outcomes of both interventions. The critique assesses the study's methodology, including the use of random controlled trials (RCT), and raises ethical concerns related to informed consent and potential biases. It also acknowledges the study's strengths in recognizing researchers and protecting patient privacy. The essay further discusses the implications of the research for nursing practice, particularly the integration of technology in treatment delivery, and concludes by suggesting the value of qualitative analysis for a more comprehensive understanding of research problems. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

1Running head: QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
Quantitative research critique and ethical consideration
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2QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
In the modern medical world, research has become a critical aspect that nurses are
encouraged to undertake. Nurses’ responsibilities have diversified from patient advocacy,
infection control, physical, management of diseases or signs and symptoms into research
exploration to improve the effectiveness of finding solutions and implementing them to improve
healthcare (Pooler, 2014). This paper is a critique of the quantitative research of the PICOT
Statement and Literature Search and the ethical considerations of the investigation.
The study aimed to understand how depression can be managed using the cognitive
research therapy and the internet-based therapy. Further the study aimed at investigating the
treatment outcomes of both interventions, and which was more efficient. It then compares these
outcomes by using a randomized non-inferiority trial (Wagner, Horn, & Maercker, 2014). The
clinical problem identified is the depression in older adults. This clinical problem contributed to
the research problem of the difference in performance of using internet-based therapy and the use
of face-to-face treatment along with the cognitive behavior therapy to treat depression.
The quantitative analysis comprises a range of methods such as polls, surveys, and
questionnaires, concerned with the systematic investigation of social phenomena, using
numerical data. A total of 62 participants, diagnosed with depression, took part in the study
where 32 participants were randomly allocated to an Internet-based treatment with a psychologist
and 30 of them were assigned to a face-to-face treatment intervention over a similar period (8
weeks). Consecutive data was collected after the eight weeks to keep track of the effectiveness of
both interventions. The participants seem to have willingly taken part in the study but not the
mode of treatment (either online or face- to- face). The author rationalizes this method of
collection of data to be most appropriate as it is non- biased and hence the results are likely to be

3QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
more accurate. In the paper, the researcher cited relevant current quantitative and qualitative
material related to the critical focus of the study.
Moreover, the study uses both the dependent and independent variable to come up with
questions that help to carry out the research. The dependent variable is, depression of older
adults while the independent variable consists of Internet therapy, face-to-face treatment, and the
cognitive-based therapy. Some of the questions that may have been used to conduct the research
include; can patients with depression get treatment via Internet platforms or do they only require
face-to-face treatment? How effective is the cognitive behavior therapy? And, What are the
possible treatments of chronic pain? (Wagner, Horn, & Maercker, 2014). This critique paper
agrees that the questions were relevant to the study.
The main clinical problem in the study is the effect of the cognitive behavior therapy,
which resulted in the research problem of the impact of cognitive behavior therapy on the control
groups (Berking, Ebert, Cuijpers & Hofmann, 2013). The research opens up a discussion on
mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness stress cognitive therapy. Other studies on
the same topic have helped to explain the positive and negative effects on the reduction of
depression. Some other questions used in the development of the research include: What
alternative methods can be used instead of cognitive behavior therapy? Which studies support
the cognitive behavior therapy? What are some of the effects of cognitive behavior therapy?
The study also compiles its results using the inferential statistics that is as a result of the
descriptive statistics. The findings of the study from the internet-based treatment and cognitive
therapy are d=1.27 and d=1.37 respectively. Moreover, the findings suggest that Internet therapy
is more effective in the long run which therefore shows that internet therapy can be more useful
for patients that are unable to make physical appointments to seek treatment.

4QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
The use of web-based treatment with a therapist shows similar outcomes with
conventional face-to-face therapies while treating depressive disorders (Ehde, Dillworth, 2014,
p.153). It, therefore, means that the research will have a high impact on how nurse will apply the
procedures of treatment to patients with depressive disorder since the study gives a synopsis of
the different methods that should be in use. According to the research, nurses are advised to
incorporate technology into their work because of the changing trends in the world that are
altering the delivery of services. The study uses the random controlled trial whose aim is to make
a non-biased comparison between modern online-based treatment and traditional face-to-face
treatment.
Though the study is successful, it has some weaknesses that raise ethical issues. Firstly,
the report utilizes the method of the random controlled trial (RCT) to collect data. Solomon,
Cavanaugh, & Draine (2009) criticize the RCT to have some underlying ethical issues. They
argue that since RCT is mostly experimental, a moral question arises where there is a possibility
of some patients getting better treatment either intervention. Additionally, Flanagin (2009),
Claims that RCT does not allow a patient to choose their preferred mode of treatment and this is
a violation of the rule of informed consent. The patients, therefore, lack knowledge of the risks
and benefits associated with the chosen mode of treatment.
The research is also ethical in that it recognizes different researchers and participants. It
engages researchers during the discussion and personal information concerning different
Individuals are not exposed. This, therefore, shows that the researcher is mindful of patients right
to privacy. Additionally, the researcher argues that though the cognitive behavior therapy is
useful in solving depression, it does not fulfill its goals well in the long run, but when
mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-cognitive treatment is introduced it

5QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
increases the efficacy of the procedure. The mindfulness-based intervention is not ethical in a
way; this is because information on the different methods used is not given to patients before
being incorporated, which makes the research unethical (Gu, Strauss, Bond, and Cavanagh,
2015).
The presentation of the research was excellent and has a high impact on nursing since it
gives a broad overview of how to treat depression. The study also has a significant limitation,
where the research quality is heavily dependent on the individual skills of the researcher and
more easily influenced by the researcher's personal biases. Nonetheless, the findings of the
research show that depression is likely to reduce when cognitive therapy is applied since it
critically analyses the behavior of each patient in a more profound way. In conclusion, it is
advisable for a researcher to use the qualitative analysis, because it helps a researcher see the
bigger picture and understand the problem directly from a participant because it does assume its
findings like the quantitative research, (Morgan, 2008).

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References
Berking, M., Ebert, D., Cuijpers, P., & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Emotion regulation skills
training enhances the efficacy of inpatient cognitive behavioral therapy for major
depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics,
82(4), 234- 245.
Ehde, D. M., Dillworth, T. M., & Turner, J. A. (2014). Cognitive-behavioral therapy for
individuals with chronic pain: Efficacy, innovations, and directions for
research. American Psychologist, 69(2), 153-166. doi:10.1037/a0035747
Flanagin, A. (2009). Ethical Review of Studies and Informed Consent. AMA Manual of Style.
doi:10.1093/jama/9780195176339.022.210
Gu, J., Strauss, C., Bond, R., & Cavanagh, K. (2016). Corrigendum to “How do Mindfulness-
Based Cognitive Therapy and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Improve Mental
Health and Wellbeing? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mediation Studies”
[Clinical Psychology Review 37 (2015) 1–12]. Clinical Psychology Review, 49, 119.
doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2016.09.011
Morgan, D. L. (2008). Practical Strategies for Combining Qualitative and Quantitative Methods:
Applications to Health Research. Qualitative Health Research, 8(3), 362-376.
doi:10.1177/104973239800800307
Pooler, A. (2014). An introduction to evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare. New
York, USA: Routledge.
Solomon, P., Cavanaugh, M. M., & Draine, J. (2009). Ethical Considerations of Randomized
Controlled Trials. Randomized Controlled Trials, 19-44.
doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195333190.003.0002

7QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH CRITIQUE AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
Wagner, B., Horn, A. B., & Maercker, A. (2014). Internet-based versus face-to-face cognitive-
behavioral intervention for depression: A randomized controlled non-inferiority
trial. Journal of Affective Disorders, 152-154, 113-121. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2013.06.032