Critical Review and Appraisal of Published Research Study - Assignment Example

 Critical Review and Appraisal of one Published Research Study Trevillion, K., Oram, S., Feder, G., & Howard, L. M., 2012. Experiences of Domestic Violence and Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One, [online] 7(12), p. e51740. Available through: PubMed Database. [Accessed 09 January 2015]. Introduction Every social worker is conversant with the effect that the results found in published scientific studies can have on the social life of every human being globally. It is especially so when these results are magnified by popular news sites and advertisements that reach the population directly. Day in day out, new research studies are being published in major journals. The studies have more often than not suggested various changes as per their findings in social practice. Hence, their ability to affect the manner in which social care and work is undertaken to clients is huge. However, it is vital to note that the findings of one study do not depict the numerous contemplations that are integral in the decision making of various aspects associated with the wider area within which they lie in. Most of them are only limited to the specific study area. In the process of evaluating, analysing, and appraising published research studies, it is common to discover that many of them do not confess the weaknesses in the research. In such instances, it is up to the person reading the study to utilise a significant period to find these weaknesses. It is the reason why this paper takes up the mantle of evaluating a published research study to evaluate it credibility and worth in its area. In its December 26, 2012, issue, the Public Library of Science published the findings of the Experiences of Domestic Violence and Mental Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis study. It was a study that looked at the prevalence and likelihood of an individual being a domestic violence victim. Even though the researchers concluded that the prevalence of being a victim of domestic violence women and men through out all categories of diagnosis in comparison to persons without disorders. The study went ahead to also discuss the findings of their study, the strengths and weaknesses of this research and what the findings implied. As a published research study, it can be considered a model study because many similar researches fail to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their studies. On running the study’s main heading in a common search engine, Google, the results indicated that the study had been cited by fifty six other authors. The citation is an indication that the research received acknowledgement in various spheres. The study was easy to locate form the search engine. Similarly, the database that it was located in is an open access one, meaning that it was not limited to persons who had paid for it or specific institutions. This made it easy to access the study and read through it for evaluation purposes. It was also available in the PubMed another database that has numerous published research studies. However, in this database, subscription was required before getting full access. What does this show? It shows that this study is located in both accessible and non-accessible locations making it easy to locate, obtain, and access. The site from which the research was obtained from is credible.The site offers full access. The reason being that it only offers peer reviewed studies and not any other studies. Peer reviewed studies imply that the work has been evaluated by scientific experts in the same area of study and given their approval. On its site, it is noted that the journal in which the study was published rigorously peer-reviews papers before they are published. It does so to make sure the paper is technically endowed and its likely impact in the particular field is significant. Does this mean that the study under review in this paper is of the said strengths? The journal indicates that judgements about the study’s significance are left to the readers as they are the most qualified to evaluate what is of importance to them. Taking the readers into consideration, apart from the fifty six citations shown in the search engine, the journal shows that the study by Trevillion et al. (2012) has been viewed 15,962 times, cited 24 times, saved 16 times, and shared 46 times. It indicates that the study has been through numerous readers who may or may not have used it as part of their work. The credibility of the source is evidenced by the fact that numerous research studies have been published in the Public Library of Science Journal and made available through the site. The research articles are not limited to one area. They cover a multitude of areas and issues that are supposed to make an impact in science and society as a whole. If the site was not reliable, then it would have been indicated by the failure of researchers to use it to have their published papers made accessible to the general population. The main heading of the research paper tells it all. The society is plagued by so many case of domestic violence and mental disorders that are at times overlooked or not given the attention they deserve simply because it is not the people, but an individual who is affected. Many are the times victims of domestic violence fail to report these cases because of fear. On the other hand, persons who have certain mental disorders are looked down upon. What is the relationship between being a victim of domestic violence and various mental disorders? This question led to choosing this study. More so, bearing in mind that as an individual, I have been witnessed cases of domestic violence. Cases where the repercussions have been tragic. Not only to the direct members of that family, but the consequences have spread and affected indirect persons associated with the victim. Many are the times domestic violence cases and victims are examined with scepticism because people do not want to be associated with this cases. However, as a researcher, I find it vital that the society should be sensitized on domestic violence. It is the realisation that, research is not only about the issues that are so intertwined with the society that they are popular. However, it is also about those cases and issues that society does not want to hear about. The issues that society regards as a nuisance. Hence, I find it important that as a researcher, my identity will not be based on the number of researchers I undertake, but by the impact, the research has on the society as a whole. The impact cannot be understated when it comes to sensitive and intricate issues such as domestic violence and mental disorders. The paper helps shine light on how such an issue can be evaluated to determine how it has been linked with society and other studies. According to Fowkes and Fulton (1991), th abstract of a published research paper should be summative. The abstract should give a whole overview of what the research paper is all about touching on areas including the aims, the methodology, the results and findings just to name but a few. In short, the abstract should tell the reader what the published paper is all about. Thus, when the reader goes through the abstract, he or she understands what the paper is about, if it is important to his or her interests, and if it is a credible source of information. It is in the abstract that concernscan be identified. The published research paper by Trevillion et al. (2012) has an abstract, as is the requirement of all papers. The question is, does the abstract meet all the needs of a research paper? Describing the abstract, it is well structured to include the background, methods, results, and conclusions of the study. The structure is appropriate and vital in giving the reader a head start regarding what their study is about. The researchers have tried to be as brief as possible in the abstract. However, the clarity with which the abstract has been written with is commendable. It begins by enlightening on why the study is been undertaken. The enlightening is fundamental in catching the reader’s attention. In the methods section, they outline the study design and what type of analysis they utilised. The sources of data are indicated and the criteria used to differentiate the data needed for the study is explained. The researchers then give a brief overview of the results with a reason why some studies were minimally used. The abstract closes with a conclusion that states succinctly what the research study found. In the introduction, the study notes that domestic violence is a public health issue that affect many globally. Various other studies that have looked at domestic violence are also of the same opinion. In a study undertaken by Kaur and Garg(2008), the researchers say that domestic violence is a worldwide issue that goes beyond national boundaries. They state that the issue is extensive and somewhat accepted. The authors continue to say that is is a problem that has serious effects on the health of women and the costs that it brings about to the person and the society are huge. A point that cannot be ignored is that it is clearly noted that domestic violence has largely been overlook, dismissed and very few people have agreed to comprehend it. On the same note, Chamberlain(2008) states that the domestic violence has come to identified as a principal health determinant. Therefore, it has been categorised as public health priority. Draucker (2002) alludes that domestic violence is a grave public health worry. The author notes that as a public health issue, it poses a task to nurses. It has been indicated by Hegarty (2011) that domestic violence is usually a concealed problem in women who attend clinical practice. Further, the author associates it to mental health. Thus, the studies looked at are few in number, however, they are all in agreement that domestic violence is a public health issue affecting many worldwide. It shows that the published research paper by Trevillion et al. (2012) is not wrong on this issue. It is an indication that the paper relies on facts and not assumptions in its arguments. As a requirement for every published and peer-reviewed paper, it has to have aims that direct its research. The same applies to the research done byTrevillion et al. (2012). The authors state that their research had two objectives namely to estimate the prevalence of an individual being a domestic violence victim in both genders with mental illnesses, and to approximate the likelihood of being a victim of domestic violence in women and men with mental illnesses in contrast with controls of non-mentally disordered persons. In spite of the study lacking a research question. The aims functioned as statements that substituted the research question. Many research studies lack particulate aims and one may have to go through the paper to identify them. However, this paper has clearly stated and outlined them in the introduction in an easily identifiable manner. It saves a lot of time and energy for the reader if he or she is seeking to identify what the study is focused on and if their focus is in tandem with their needs. The aims that this study has stated are aims that hold weight considering the same have also been subject to different forms of research by other studies. Warshaw and Barnes (2003) indicate that a considerable number of persons in the United States have mental health issues that are often unaddressed. They link domestic abuse to a rise in the risk of developing mental conditions. In an article by Newton (2001), it is articulated that mental disorders make up the some of the effects of domestic violence. Dillon, et al.(2013) gives evidence of the link between poor mental health and intimate partner violence. These studies give credibility to the research aims of the study by Trevillion et al. (2012). They show that the research aims by this study are part of an interesting aspect of domestic violence that needs to be examined and analysed carefully for the issue to be dealt with in an appropriate manner. It is noted that study design of the paper has made use of a systematic review and meta-analysis of the data it obtained. Khan, et al. (2003) are of the opinion that meta-analyses and systematic reviews are major components of evidence-based research. However, they indicate that they remain vague. The authors note that a research paper is termed as systematic if it is founded on an outstanding formulation of questions has identified related studies, gives a summary of the evidence obtained through clear methodology, and evaluates their quality. Hence, they note that the systematic method identifies systematic reviews. Hemingway and Brereton (2009) allude that systematic reviews endeavour to utilise research evidence similar to that that should be utilised in producing the same research evidence initially. In social work, the availability of research articles on the internet has led to an explosion of many research studies touching on various social aspects of the society like domestic violence. Thus, systematic reviews and meta-analyses have made it easier to come up with a large variety of the studies that focus on a certain area from which readers and researchers can get information. The paper by Trevillion et al. (2012) lacks an outlining question for their review. Most systematic reviews use these questions to outline the problems that shall be addressed. However, they utilise aims as their guiding statements for the review. They have indicated what guidelines the review followed. The guidelines followed include the PRISMA and MOOSE. The study then went ahead to outline the search strategy it used to get the research studies that were appropriate to their published review. The strategy comprised of a multi-search tactic that included electronic and hand searches, recent papers on domestic violence, recommendations from experts, and key word searches in three major journals. For a systematic review, this outline is a great way to help the reader undertake similar strategies as they seek to obtain key information that will be of help to them. The selection criteria of the research paper were based on gender. A pertinent issue when it comes to research. Many papers fail to assess this aspect and it affects their outcomes and findings. This is especially so when the issue on domestic violence is addressed. Using validated tool, the paper determined the quality of the research studies that were to be utilised. On obtaining the data, the authors made use of various statistical tools to compute the prevalence as per their research aims. The confidence interval relied upon by the paper was at 95%. The study utilised Egger’s test, and funnel plots together to determine bias. Statistical programs including STATAheterogi command was used to obtain the odd ratios. The manner in which the data is analysed is very specific. Reasons have been given why various methods such as meta-regression could not be used. Hence, the study does not leave the reader wondering why. Instead, it seeks to ensure that any arising issue is addressed. Because the study involved the evaluation of research studies, no ethical issues arise because of the paper. The reason being the names of the participants who took part in the examined research papers are not disclosed. The researchers did not discuss research ethics in their paper; neither did they make any claims to the desirability and possibility of valve free social research. According to Uman (2011), a 95% confidence interval is utilised to intepret the results. Long(2014) notes that for sytematic reviews, routine piloting is essential for enhanced efficacy. However, the research study does not note of any routine piloting. Akram, et al.(2014) notes that it is the aim of any systematic review to pool together the great amount of research that is available. The research paper by Trevillion et al. (2012) has addressed this aspect in a proper manner. References Read More