NR 505 Week 3: Elements of Quantitative Research: Design and Sampling

NR 505 Week 3: Elements of Quantitative Research: Design and Sampling

The single quantitative research study article that I have chosen is an article that discusses; does aerobic exercise reduce postpartum depressive symptoms? Throughout this article it looks at the population of mothers that are one year or less postpartum and women with depressive symptoms that are measured by a questionnaire or diagnostic tool (Pritchett, Daley, & Jolly, 2017).  This particular research study I would have to say is non experimental because there is intervention but one does not have control over whether or not these postpartum mothers exercise and how much they exercise, they have to go by what they say they do and the intensity of their exercise.

Intervention is that there were different trial groups which included; group exercise interventions, exercise counseling was provided and the participant was allowed to choose their own form of exercise (Pritchett, Daley, & Jolly, 2017).  They were aiming to achieve approximately 30 minutes of moderate exercise three to five times weekly.  The observation/data collected during this was to see if exercise had an effect on decreasing depressive symptoms in postpartum women. The study did find that overall exercise is an effective treatment for postpartum depression. The random assignments were of women whom chose their own exercise that they did, women that were assigned to groups for exercise, and other women that received exercise counseling (Pritchett, Daley, & Jolly, 2017).

When looking at probability vs non-probability for this article I would have to go with non-probability for this because this just focuses on postpartum women, so not all postpartum women if they are one year of having a baby would not qualify for this study. Non-probability is when not every member of the population has the same chance of being included in the study. This study focuses on women whom are one year or less postpartum.

An advantage to using non-probability is the population being studied is narrowed down to just mothers whom are one year postpartum. A disadvantage to this is that postpartum depression can last past one year of childbirth in some women. So these women are being excluded from the study.

A random assignment was used for this study as women were either in a group, had counseling, or chose the exercise that they wanted to do. This can strengthen the study as it narrows down what area was most effective whether it be exercise in a group setting, individualized, or the counseling about exercise.

Pritchett, R. V., Daley, A. J., & Jolly, K. (2017). Does aerobic exercise reduce postpartum depressive symptoms? British Journal of General Practice, 67. https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp17x692525 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

I chose a qualitative research study that looked at primary care physicians and how they screen for military service and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study is pertinent to my PICo question, are post war veterans at a higher risk for suicide as they re-integrate into society? As a future nurse practitioner (NP), I see a correlation with health care providers understanding if their patients have served in the military and if they may be experiencing physical or mental symptoms that are adversely affecting their well-being as a way of reducing suicide risk among veterans. Mohler & Sankey-Deemer (2017), discuss the link between PTSD and veteran suicide and how veteran suicide has been on the rise in the last ten years. Due to challenges with distance and access to a veteran health facility, Mohler (2017), discusses the importance of primary care physicians screening the patients for military service and any health concerns they may be experiencing as a result of time served.