Ethical Aspects of Clinical Research - Essay Example

For any research study to go ahead, investigators have got to ensure that the study is valuable to the current body of knowledge and the participants. Research has contributed to improving health and well-being, and this case study sought to determine the links between suicidal tendencies and low cholesterol levels. The information derived from this research study would be valuable to participants, as they would be aware of factors that could be detrimental to their health. This information is also valuable to the patient population as it is thought to be specific to patients with Para suicidal tendencies. This research found that those patients with low cholesterol levels were more likely to develop suicidal tendencies than the control groups.

To further enhance the value, the study had to be designed in such a way that would reduce bias; which could have been introduced through age-related disorders such as dementia, anorexia, etc. Bias can also be introduced if the sample group is homogeneous, in which there is a significant proportion of males to females; however, the investigators have made sure each group has an equal split.

The research sought to determine if there was any difference in cholesterol levels between the patient groups examined, and if there was an association between cholesterol levels and measures of suicidal tendencies, impulsivity, and depression. The study results and analysis revealed a significant difference in mean cholesterol levels between the three groups with the parasuicide group having the lowest levels and the psychiatric controls having the highest. This satisfies the first aim of this research, and cholesterol, non-planning, and motor sub-scale scores of self-reported impulsivity was significantly inversely related, which supports the second hypothesis. The validity and precision of these results could have been influenced by bias and other conditions, however, the investigators have taken several steps that would have reduced the probability of this occurrence.

One method of ensuring validity and precision is to select an appropriate sample size, sample method and make sure the confidence intervals are appropriate for the study. The sampling method of selecting three groups provides a population spread and accounts for the various psychological conditions that exist. For example, normal controls will be different from psychiatric controls and this ensures the generalization of the study results. Efforts have also been made to ensure the gender split is equal in all three groups, as the study found that there are some differences between the sexes.

The psychiatric controls also served to remove any bias that may have been or could be attached to the participants in the parasuicidal/DSH group. The age range was a potential source of bias, however, the inclusion criteria were necessary as over 65s could present with symptoms that are asymptomatic of parasuicidal/DSH as a result of existing conditions. However, the investigators have checked for bias by applying the same tests and exclusion criteria to all study groups.

Whilst the sample size was not big enough to draw a precise conclusion, it did provide an indication of areas for further research in larger populations. The confidence intervals are sufficiently narrow, especially for the descriptive data comparing the continuous variables for cholesterol. However, the p-values of less than 0.05 do suggest a strong likelihood of heterogeneity within the sample group, and this can only be remedied by replicating this study in a large group.