Adult Psychological Problems - Research Paper Example

 HS8122 – Quantitative Research Methods in the Public Service. u08a1 Methodology Report Draft Mona McFadden Capella University Dr. Hilliman Abstract Methodology in a field research or dissertation outlines the process of conducting a research, developing an understanding of the entire research process by illustrating adopted methods in data collection, analysis, and preliminary research processes. This paper offers a methodology report draft. It explores the essential elements for the intended research. Introduction The proposed research aims at exploring the wide topic of domestic violence in the society and its significance to different social and economic aspects of life that may necessitate policymaking. It will particularly examine the effects of domestic violence on the psychological development of young children in the United States. Problem statement Domestic violence continues to be a major concern for many families in the United States and globally. It persists even with the most experienced counselors who are expected to facilitate conflict resolution in domestic units. Even though many institutions have been established with the main purpose of resolving domestic conflicts, such initiatives have made insignificant progress and prevalence rates in reported domestic violence cases remains high. Current reports indicate that in majority of domestic violence cases, husbands are the offenders and they cause physical harm to their spouses. Wives, in a few cases, also molest their husbands. These incidences of domestic violence, regardless of the offending party, have profound effects on children. As a result, they induce a social concern, the children’s plight that is threatened, which prompts scholarly investigations for solutions. The greatest difficulty is that families are a complex web of interrelationships that are difficult to understand, especially if they involve children. Counselors have however adopted measures such as legal redress, leading to separation or divorce, as means of solving the domestic violence problem. These mediation efforts most of the time consider the couple in order to avoid a situation where someone is hurt. Such solutions however fail to consider children’s plight in the situations. Consequently, domestic violence together with the resulting legal proceedings affects children in different ways. The witnessed violence, separations, and divorce, which in most cases occur against the children’s wishes, instill fear and sometimes hardship in the children’s lives. Psychological fear for example develops as the children loose part of their parental protection and care. The children are also exposed to stigma among peers due to their parents’ separation as well as the effects of unresolved conflict between the parents. While conflict resolution or judicial processes my outline responsibility over child support, especially in cases where one of the parents was dependent on the other, the children are exposed to economic hardships as implementation of such resolutions often fail. The effects of domestic violence on children however go beyond their childhood to have permanent behavioral impacts. This, as existing literature supports, results from induced social problems as most adults who engage in domestic violence registers such experiences in their childhood. The observations therefore suggest a hypothesis that children’s witnessing of domestic violence affects their perception and behavior that they manifest in their later stages of lives (Fainsilber, Danielle, & Amalia, 2007; Hornor, 2005). The impacts of domestic violence on children is therefore significant an issue that ought to be deeply explored, in any society. Domestic violence has therefore been a source of problems, not only to children during their developing stages, but also to their future lives in marriage. Even though social workers and counselors have continuously dealt with the problem of children from families that experience domestic violence, many of them have not yet understood the impacts of domestic violence on child development. There are however, diversified opinions that children develop fear, abuse drugs, become aggressive, and grow up with other psychological problems that may be harmful to them and the society in the end. This study therefore seeks to investigate the relationship between domestic violence in families and the associated effects on young children’s psychological development. Information gained from understanding the psychological impacts of domestic violence on children will help counselors, other social workers, and policy makers to know what strategies are appropriate in helping children cope with the problem. Purpose statement The purpose of this study is to find out how young children’s psychological development is affected in families that experience domestic violence. This is achieved through collection of quantitative data on children’s experiences based on chosen measurement scale. Quantitative research philosophy The research methodology considers research philosophies that outline fundamental assumptions for the research. It adopts philosophical assumption of ontology that the reality of the research process is internal and can be determined by the researcher. This assumption offers researchers the freedom of exploring variable with a confidence of internal validity in a research initiative. The research also assumes a high level of independence between the researcher and the research subject, as illustrated in epistemology, a philosophical assumption that minimizes bias in research initiative. This further eliminates chances of researchers’ bias and promotes validity and reliability in research. The research also adopts the quantitative research rhetorical assumption of a formal approach to conducting and presenting the research. This includes definition of applied concepts in the research as well as a third party tone of presentation. This research however deviates from axiological postulation that disregards value. The process considers value for effective communication of the research’s context in results. Finally, the research is based on the methodological basis for data inference, a characteristic of quantitative research that induces causation (Creswell, 2003). Research questions and hypothesis Research questions form the basis of any research. Identification of research questions is however, a difficult though very important aspect in conducting any research. The questions guide the research and help in addressing the research topic. Without the research questions it would be very difficult to address the research topic appropriately (Creswell, 2003). The study proposes the following two research questions to be answered in the study: What are some of the psychological consequences that arise from children exposure to domestic violence in families? How do the psychological problems that children develop in families that experience domestic violence affect their psychological development into adulthood? Research Hypotheses Scholars provide various definitions of the term hypothesis. However, the most common definition views a hypothesis as a temporary claim about a research problem that has two mutually exclusive possibilities as outcomes. It can also be understood as an informed guess of possibilities. Thus, a hypothesis is a temporary prediction of the nature of a relationship that exists between two or more variables. The study has developed the following set hypotheses that take both the null and alternative approach. H1: Domestic violence has no profound impacts on the psychological development of young children in the United States. H2: Young children’s exposure to domestic violence has some impacts on their development and subsequent behaviors into adulthood. Independent and dependent Variables Analysis of two or more variables makes it important for a researcher to point out the relationship between the involved variables in a study. Two variables are independent if a change in one does not consequently cause a change in the other. In case one of the variables causes a change in the other then the first variables is known as an independent variable and the latter a dependent variable. Alternatively, an independent variable is that factor that is varied by the researcher in order to induce response for experimental observation. Dependent variable is however the one whose value is determined by the independent variable. In the two research questions identified above, domestic violence is the independent variable while psychological consequences are the dependent variable. This is because the research uses existence of domestic in a child’s experience and subsequent psychological condition as well as the degree of psychological impacts based on the level of observed violence. Observation on psychological state therefore depends on experienced violence. Operational definitions The following definitions will act as operational definitions for the variables as used in the study. These are based on the various understandings by different scholars on the meaning of the terms and how they are used in day-to-day interactions. Domestic violence will be taken to mean developed pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior that could take the form of physical, psychological, emotional, or economic coercion that is seen to occur between a couple (Champion, 2000). This definition will thus focus on a family set up where children exist in addition to any other adult relationship. The definition will also only consider what the children can see happen in the family and not what they are not able to observe. Psychological problems will be taken to represent patterns of behavior or psychological symptoms that have an effect on several areas of life of an individual and which create distress for the person who is experiencing the mentioned problems. Psychological consequences will be taken to the same meaning as the above mentioned psychological problems. Normal development will be taken to mean development that is not abnormal in the sense but that conforms to the prevailing social norms or a behavior that is frequently observed in other people. Normal development will also mean that the individual does not show behavior that is likely to be categorized as deviant, outrageous or non-conforming (Trull, 2005). Sampling strategy This research adopts a stratified random sampling in which the participants are grouped according to predetermined characteristics of sub populations. Social class that defines population distribution by regions forms the basis for grouping the participants. The sampling strategy is preferred because of its advantages. It for example leads to a high degree of precision for a given sample size as compared to simple random sampling while sharing the same advantage of eliminating bias. As a result, small sample sizes can achieve required level of validity and reliability. This further induces and economic advantage of the sampling strategy as a smaller sample size requires relatively less resources for implementing the research methods. The stratified random sampling design also ensures adequate representation of the research participants to increase the level of validity of the research results and conclusion. A sample size of 470 participants is applied from different regions. This is based on personal prudence and knowledge of sample size selection in similar research together with resource constraints for implementing the research. Based on the selected sample, the research will collect data on a scale for correlation analysis (Cohen, Manion, and Morrison, 2007). Reliability and validity The research applies questionnaires as its data collection tool, for recording participants’ responses. The tool is considerably valid since it collects responses on informed free consent basis. As a result, the collected data are based on “accurately, honestly and correctly” framed responses. The random stratified sampling strategy also communicates reliability of the research through limited biasness and a blinded representative sample (Cohen, Manion, and Morrison, 2007). Pilot study The research includes a pilot study as its preliminary initiative to determine effectiveness of questionnaires as its data collection tool. It uses sampled strata to evaluate comprehensibility and clarity of the used questions among participants. This aims at identifying and eliminating possible challenges to implementation of the research methodology of the actual research (Cohen and Lawrence, 200 Cohen, Manion, and Morrison, 2007). Ethical issues Ethics refers to moral practices in a society. Though they are not legally binding, they are observed as cultural practices in professions and may indirectly impose liability on a researcher. This research, like other social research activities, is subject to a number of ethical considerations such voluntary involvement of participants. This means that no person should be forced into taking part in a research. The scope of this research that identifies children as the participants, and based on their vulnerability, indicates the essence of the protecting their freedom of choice and allowing then to chose whether to participate in the research or not. This identifies the ethical doctrine of participants’ autonomy (Streubert and Carpenter, 2010). Another applicable ethical issue to the research is the participants’ informed consent, which provides that a participant to a research should be informed of the scope of the research and possible consequences from participation, before accepting to take part. This principle directly applies to the research topic and the children must be adequately informed before they can consent to participate in the research. Such information should for example include possible parental reaction following a child’s response and admission of domestic violence experience. This doctrine must however consider legal provisions that minors lack legal capacity to consent, owing to the fact that the research targets children between five and fifteen years. As a result, the required consent must be obtained through the children’s parents or guardians who must also be informed of the scope of the study and possible consequences of the research on the children (Streubert and Capenter, 2010). The research also involves beneficence, an ethical provision protecting participants from harm that may arise from a research process. The principle imputes a researcher’s responsibility to ensure a research process that is safe for the participants. The scope of the research, whose topic considers children’s treatment by their parents or guardians, is for example sensitive and needs to ensure that their parents or guardians will not harshly treat them for their involvement in the research. While the researchers need to assure the children that their responses and identities will not be made public, follow up initiatives should be taken to ensure that the children are safe following their participation. Similarly, the children’s anonymity ought to be respected in the entire research process. Anonymity principle provides for protection of participants identity in reporting research findings and is supported by other principles such as “beneficence” and “confidentiality” (Streubert and Capenter, 2010, p. 60). In order ensure the children’s safety after participation in the research; initiatives shall be taken to counsel the children’s parents and guardians of the nature of the research to obtain their goodwill. Further, the parents shall be informed of legal consequences of discriminating their children for participating in the research and any other research activity. Other ethical concerns also emanate from “reliability and validity” of research methods such as data collection and analysis tools (Goodman, 2009, p. 348). Research results that may be incorporated in policies may for example disadvantage the subject population if research instruments compromise “reliability and validity” (Goodman, 2009, p. 348). The applied instrument in the research, questionnaires, promotes dependability on the research as well as truthfulness because it eliminates possible bias and insincerity in data collection that could be transferred to data analysis and conclusions. This means that the applied instrument promotes beneficence in the entire research (Goodman, 2009). Summary The research expects to affirm already established findings that domestic violence has negative impacts on children’s psychological development, and that such effects depend on a child’s age (Stiles, 2002). The research will however apply quantitative analysis of categorical data to determine a logistics regression analysis on the relationship between domestic violence and children’s psychological growth based on age. The paper proposes that the effect is inversely proportional to age. The expected observation relies on the concept that domestic violence induces psychological instability that is higher in less mature children. The study is significant because of its aim of establishing the need for child protection policies to ensure healthy psychological growth through controlling domestic violence. This has a long term effect of raising a productive generation for economic development. References Champion, L. (2000). Adult Psychological Problems: An Introduction. New York: Psychology Press. Cohen, L., Manion, L. and Morrison, K. (2007). Research methods in education. New York, NY: Routledge Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed method approaches. London: Sage publications. Fainsilber, K. L., Danielle, H. M., & Amalia, A. (2007). Domestic violence, Emotional Competence and Child Adjustment. Social Development, 16(3), 513-538. Goodman, C. (2009). Research in psychology: Methods and design. New Jersey, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Hornor, G. (2005). Domestic violence and childen. Journal Of Pediatric Health Care, 19(4), 206-212. Stiles, M. (2002). Witnessing domestic violence: The effect on children. American Family Physician. Retrieved from: http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1201/p2052.html Streubert H. and Carpenter, D. (2010). Qualitative research in nursing: Advancing the humanistic imperative. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Trull, T. J. (2005). Clinicall Psychology. New York: Cengage Learning. 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