Study on Ghanian Women: Questions 8-14

8. Measurement methods

a) are the physiological measures/instruments/tools clearly described?

Yes, but it would have been better if the final version of the (FBQ) were included (see below).

b) are the techniques to administer, complete, and score (or accuracy and precision) the instruments provided?

The survey ought to have been included in an appendix, but was not, so the answer is no.

c) are the reliability and validity of the instruments described? Did the researcher examine the research design for the reliability and validity of the instruments for the present sample?

Yes; the researchers applied the Scale Content Validity Index for novel questions and did choose a level (0.7) below which they would reject a question. Validity numbers were provided for tests that had already been established in the field, like Beck’s Anxiety Inventory.

d) if the instrument was developed for the study, is the instrument development process described?

Yes, in that the researchers describe replacing “illness” with “infertility” in the relevant test.

e) are the methods for recording data from physiological measures clearly described?

Yes (for data from the survey; no physiological measures in this study). In the previous section, the researchers describe a method of distributing the surveys and receiving their return via a lockbox.

9. Data collection

a) is the data collection process clearly described and consistently implemented?

Yes; see answer above. The only point of inconsistency lies in that researchers do not mention explicitly how blank or illegibly answered questions were treated.

b) is the training of data collectors clearly described and adequate (interrater reliability IRR)?

The IRR is not mentioned, but as the questions on the survey were objective and not subjective, this is less relevant.

c) do the data collection methods address the research objectives, questions, or hypotheses?

Yes; these collection methods serve well to answer the research questions.

10. Data analysis

a) do the data analyses address each objective, question, or hypothesis? What is the level of significance?

Yes, all questions are addressed. The alpha-level chosen was p < 0.01, which is quite stringent for something in this field, p < 0.05 being more typical in biology.

b) what statistical analyses are included in the research report? Are the data analysis procedures appropriate to the type of data collected?

Cronbach’s alpha and correlation (probably Pearson’s, though this is not said explicitly) were used, as well as a host of miscellaneous statistics like mean, range, and standard deviation. Depending on how the correlation coefficients were derived (not covered explicitly), there could be an issue with applying such techniques to what in some cases is ordinal data, not ratio data.

c) are the results presented in an understandable way? Are tables and figures used to synthesize and emphasize certain findings?

Some sort of visual aide, maybe a scatterplot, might have made the results more understandable. The tables are a bit unwieldy and overflowing with information.

11. Researcher’s interpretation of the findings

a) What is the researcher’s interpretation of the findings? Are the results related back to the study framework?

The researcher interpreted the findings and related them back to the study framework by stating that indeed, infertile Ghanian women’s beliefs about infertility affected their psychosocial health.

b) Which findings are consistent with those expected? Which findings are unexpected (serendipity)?

The finding that anxiety disorders weres higher among less educated women were expected. The finding that infertile women were not particularly anxious was not expected.

c) Are significant and non-significant findings explained?

The researchers do not mention any non-significant findings.

d) Were the statistically significant findings also examined for clinical significance?

The researchers acknowledged from the beginning that as this is one of the first studies in this area, the clinical significance is as yet unclear.

e) Are study limitations identified and relevant?

Yes; four relevant limitations are very clearly identified.

f) How does the researcher generalize the findings? To what populations can the findings be generalized?

The researchers keep the focus on infertile Ghanian women throughout, though a study on Nigerian women is also referenced. In truth, the findings can probably be generalized to infertile women in many of the countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea.

g) What implications do the findings have for nursing practice?

When anxiety is discovered in infertile women in these areas, the focus should be on educating them and changing their beliefs first rather than on treating the anxiety in other ways.

h) What suggestions are made for further studies?

Suggestions are made to study infertile women not seeking treatment and to study men.

12. Evaluation: Recommendations for usefulness of the study in practice based on your critique

a) Are the study findings consistent with those of previous research?

In some areas the findings are consistent, as discussed above.

b) Do you have confidence in the findings?

Yes, with about the typical level of skepticism I experience with any study.

c) Do the findings add to nursing knowledge?

Yes, although they are not very general.

d) Are findings ready for use in practice?

The findings are not yet ready for use in practice; more work in this little-studied area must be done first.

13. Assessment of References

a) how many disciplines did they use for their literature search (are they appropriate)?

They used mainly two disciplines (psychology and sociology), and these were appropriate.

b) Are the references current (within 10 years from publication)? If not, are they appropriate as a theory, landmark/classic study, or a way to conduct research?

The vast majority of references are quite current (2007-2010 range).

14. Credibility of the authors for this research study

a) is there collaboration with other disciplines?

Though the study focused on psychosocial (psychological and social) health, researchers also drew on nursing as a discipline.

b) what is their level of education?

Three of the four researchers are PhDs. Two are RNs. (One has both qualifications).

c) did they receive a grant?

No grants are mentioned.

Reference

Naab, F., Brown, R., & Heidrich, S. (2013). Psychosocial health of infertile Ghanaian women and their infertility beliefs. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 45(2), 132-140.