Quantitative Research: An Analysis of Pare - Research Paper

Introduction

Quantitative research is a methodical investigation of phenomena by putting together data that is quantifiable and executing mathematical, statistical or even computational techniques to evaluate and study the data to attain specific results or conclusions. It is, therefore, conclusive since it is aimed to quantify a problem and comprehend it is prevalence through projectable results to a more significant population (Ma, 2006). The following is an analysis of quantitative research titled Parent's Report of Child's Response to Sibling's Death in a Neonatal or Pediatric Intensive Care Unit by JoAnne M. Youngblut and Dorothy Brooten (Youngblut, & Brooten, 2013).

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Problem Statement

The quantitative research involved children between the ages of 2 to 19 years old and was aimed at analyzing comments from parents concerning their children's responses after the death of their sibling specifically in the NICU/PICU. This was due to insufficient quantitative data available, to adequately address the main problem of; how do children react and respond to the death of their siblings in a NICU/PICU? The problem is highlighted and supported with a focus on the shortcomings of other research performed on topics closely related to it. For instance, most studies centered on sibling's deaths due to cancer while another primarily focused on white children. Nevertheless, the results recorded in all this research were not directly addressing the children's response to sibling loss in a NICU/PICU, hence the relevance of the problem and the need for the research.

Research Methodology

The qualitative research methodology described how the research objectives were attained. The research was approved by the Florida Health Department, sampling from four hospitals and collecting death records from the State's Office of Vital Statistics. The study population included Parents whose children died in the NICU/PICU, who were singled out under the condition that they had a deceased newborn child who had lived or had been hospitalized for at least 2 hours in a NICU or PICU respectively, except for children in foster care before hospitalization, cases child abuse, or parent's death in the event of birth or illness (Marczyk DeMatteo & Festinger, 2005). The primary tool of data collection was through interviews with the variables being their ethnicity, the children's responses, and the children's age. Semi-structured parent interviews were conducted in English or Spanish by using a standardized protocol at months after the death. Parents received $25 for their 1.5- to 2-hour interviews. At seven months after the death, 63 parents of 47 deceased infants or children were individually interviewed about events around their child's death and afterward.

Results

The results revealed that 38% of parents observed a change in the behavior of their children, characterized by children being distant or avoiding group/shared activities. 23% of parents interviewed did not comprehend what was happening to their children, whereby children demonstrated a lack of comprehension of death itself or activities that followed. 14% of them expressed their connectedness with their children after sibling's death, with most of them sharing their dreams, words and even behavior directly with their parents. 9% of the parents believed that their children did not have enough time to say goodbye, with most children expressing their regrets of what they did or did not do to their deceased siblings. The other 9% explained that their children believed that their sibling was in a right place regarding their religious beliefs, while 6% expressed that their children were in denial, not believing that their siblings would die by denying the seriousness of their condition.

Data Representation

The tables presented depicted that the results were very efficient and precise. It was represented in tables that highlighted every element with a clear description of the results thus describing and clarifying the results obtained during the research. The first table classified the parent and children based on sex, ethnicity, education, religion, language, income, deceased siblings, sex of the deceased siblings, type of intensive care provided in the time of death, and the number of children between the age of 2 and 20 years (Ma, 2006). The second table used the above distinction to represent the children's behaviors as expressed by their parents. These were useful in determining the parent's views and behavior and its effects on the child's behavior, and also the effect of the care unit involved before death.

Descriptive Statistics

The statistics used in the research were descriptive. They described the connection between variables in the population. In this case, they identified and illustrated the relationship between the child's age, gender, ethnicity to their comprehension and reaction to the loss of their siblings (Yao, 2011). Furthermore, it related the parent's comprehension, based on factors such as race and gender, of their children's reaction.

Results Practicality

The results and conclusion of the study cloud not be put to practice since the study had various vital limitations. The most significant being the acquisition of data from parents instead of the children themselves. The information, especially from older school-aged children, would be different or misread by the parent (Marczyk, DeMatteo & Festinger 2005). Furthermore, parents' conditions were not considered during evaluation e.g., depression, stress, and other emotional states that would have affected the perception of their children's behavior or conduct.

Reference

Fisher, M. J., & Marshall, A. P. (2009). Understanding descriptive statistics. Australian Critical Care, 22(2), 93-97. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1036731408001732

Ma, H. H. (2006). An alternative method for quantitative synthesis of single-subject researches: Percentage of data points exceeding the median. Behavior modification, 30(5), 598-617. Retrieved from: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0145445504272974

Marczyk, G., DeMatteo, D., & Festinger, D. (2005). Essentials of research design and methodology. John Wiley & Sons Inc. Retrieved from: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-05070-000

Yao, R. (2011). Publication manual of the American psychological association. Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, 39(4), 442-443. Retrieved from: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1552-3934.2011.02081.x

Youngblut, J. M., & Brooten, D. (2013). Parents' report of child's response to sibling's death in a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit. American journal of critical care: an official publication, American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, 22(6), 474-481. Retrieved from: https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/3881261