Qualitative Research Critique and Ethical Considerations
PICOT Question: Are masculine ideologies among college males (P) equally responsible for hindering depression related therapy (I) as beliefs underlying stress reduction activities (C) in reducing depression and stress cases (O)
Article 2: Tang, M. O., Oliffe, J. L., Galdas, P. M., Phinney, A., & Han, C. S. (2014). College men’s depression-related help-seeking: A gender analysis. Journal of Mental Health, 23(5), 219-224. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09638237.2014.910639
Introduction
Men strongly believe in self-reliance, which forces them to suppress depressive symptoms through aggression, substance abuse, and suicide (Tang et al., 2014). The article supports nurse practice by emphasizing on compulsive approach in managing depressive symptoms among college men. Compulsive practice is effective since masculinity is often contested and undermined. This article aims to address the question of what is the connection between masculinity and depression-related help-seeking among college men. The study aims to show the relationship between masculinity and help-seeking by college males with depressive symptoms due to varying masculinity ideologies. Based on the current empirical literature, there is a connection between masculinity and depression among college men.
Background of the study
Depression is among the leading health obstructions of academic success among campus men. Societal constructionist assumptions of gender support the idea that men with depressive symptoms hesitate to converse and disclose their emotions or seek expert assistance. Fundamentally, depression is vied as incongruent to masculine ideologies, characterized by stoicism, competitiveness, and invulnerability (Tang et al., 2014). In most cases, depression is associated with feelings of helplessness and weakness. Consequently, college males interpret depression as a major failure of being a man.
How the article supports the nurse practice issue
Relating to the PICOT question, the article encourages nurses to promote continuous online proper planning and assessment of gender explicit psychological wellness promotion interventions since men prefer using the internet for mental health information. Additionally, the article supports the application of gender-sensitive mental health policies and strategies in depression management (Cook et al., 2019). For instance, college males seeking expert assistance for depressive symptoms often downplay their misery, even while seeking social support as opposed to women (Tang et al., 2014). Fundamentally, results from this study indicate that college males and men, in general, prefer self-administered online cognitive behavioral treatment rather than therapist-delivered treatment.
Method of study
The research data was obtained through qualitative interviews lasting between 60-90 minutes with 21 college males diagnosed or self-identified as depressed. These participants were recruited from western Canadian University. The participants’ feedback was obtained by the use of semi-structured individual questionnaires that focused on depression-related help-seeking. An example of questions used includes, what are the advantages and disadvantages of seeking help? The data obtained was digitally filed, transcribed, and rechecked for precision (Tang et al., 2014). During data analysis, the transcriptions were keenly reviewed for respondents’ descriptions of their help-seeking experiences.
Additionally, continuous contrasting was applied to obtain gendered facts about respondents’ stress-related assistance-seeking. Using qualitative interviews as a data collection method is advantageous since Researchers obtain accurate information by directly interacting with participants who have lived experiences (Tang et al., 2014). However, conducting qualitative interviews is a costly data collection method due to the high number of personnel required for conducting individual interviews. As opposed to open-ended surveys used in article three, qualitative interviews are easier to analyze and interpret.
Results of the study
The study identified three main themes that interfere with help-seeking among college men. The first theme is denying weakness, where existing masculine ideologies about being muscular and tough appear as significant barriers to recognizing their depression and accepting professional, family, or peer assistance. The second theme is minimizing self-disclosure and maximizing independence, where most respondents keenly avoided giving clues of depressive symptoms due to fear of ostracism and ridicule. For instance, one 25-year-old participant confidently stated that nobody loves a depressed person (Tang et al., 2014). The third theme was redefining strength, where masculine power is recast in diverse contexts. For instance, upbringing and past experiences determine whether men will normalize seeking help related to depression. Moreover, the article encourages nurses to address men’s depression using open-ended questions, motivating men to articulate depressive symptoms. Therefore, seeking help should be positioned as a strength-based intervention strategy among college males instead of a passive reaction to women’s depression issues.
Ethical considerations
To guarantee quality and integrity of research, ethical issues such as confidentiality and voluntary participation should be considered (Tang et al., 2014). For instance, researchers in this article recruited participants through advertisements at students’ health centers and multiple college buildings, which ensured interested students joined voluntarily. This recruitment followed a university ethics approval. On the other hand, respondents’ interview transcripts were cleaned and labeled to guarantee confidentiality.
Article 3: Yzer, M., & Gilasevitch, J. (2019). Beliefs underlying stress reduction and depression help-seeking among college students: An elicitation study. Journal of American College Health, 67(2), 153-160. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07448481.2018.1462828
Introduction
Depression remains a major health concern among campus men. It is vital for nurses and other health professionals to understand aspects that influence students’ choices concerning stress control and depression assistant pursuit behaviors. This study aims to evaluate beliefs concerning self-identified depression reduction behaviors (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). The study answers the question of which actions campus students believe will successfully alleviate stress for them? The study’s primary purpose is to evaluate beliefs regarding seeking assistance for depressive symptoms among college students. Although students believe exercise is time-consuming, it is the most effective stress-reduction strategy.
Background of the study
Stress is prevalent among campus students in the U.S, which interferes with their functioning. Depression among campus males is directly linked with various adverse effects, including poor educational performance and drug abuse. Therefore, managing stress levels and depression should be given priority during health promotion in U.S colleges. For instance, previous studies have established that college students who cannot control their stress easily experience panic attacks, anxiety, and depression (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). Message-based strategies are the most commonly used tools for managing stress and depression in college students.
How the article supports the nurse practice issue
Relating to the PICOT question, the article evaluates how beliefs on stress alleviating strategies influence campus students seeking help. For instance, message-based interventions through online platforms are viewed as useful tools for health information and self-management assistance for college students with depressive symptoms (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). Therefore, nurses should ensure online depression-related therapy addresses effective ways of preventing, coping, and recovering from depression. Additionally, the article also identifies meditation as an effective stress management strategy for college students and staff in general.
Method of study
An open-ended survey was conducted with 53 students from the University of Minnesota. The survey questionnaire was administered online. In the survey, the students were required to list five actions or behaviors they apply or would consider using to manage stress. The open-ended responses were content analyzed into themes that corresponded to specific beliefs (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). The diverse beliefs were subjected to a frequency test for ranking in terms of relative salience. The main advantage of open-ended surveys is that it allows for detailed responses from the participants. However, detailed responses may be challenging to interpret and analyze. The main difference between qualitative interviews and open-ended survey is that interviews provide an avenue for assessing participants’ actual reactions.
Results of the study
Participants’ self-reported stress management activities include physical activity, music, creating art, watching movies, meditation, sleeping, and prayers. However, exercise was the most common stress reduction activity identified by a majority of the participants. Relating to behavioral beliefs, participants identified positive and negative impacts of exercise. On the positive side, they believe exercise reduces stress, improves fitness, and promotes better sleep (Cook et al., 2019). On the negative side, physical activities take up too much time and often cause injury (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). Relating to normative beliefs, friends were more likely to approve of exercise than family and friends. Relating to control beliefs, time was identified as a critical controlling factor.
Concerning beliefs on seeking assistance for depression, participants believed that the main advantage of seeking help was enhancing coping skills. Relating to normative beliefs, friends are more likely to support help-seeking initiatives than family (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). Relating to control beliefs, the participants believed that the critical facilitating factor is social support. Implementing and applying these research findings ease the nurse’s work of alleviating stress in patients with depressive symptoms and guiding others on the best preventive strategies against stress and depression.
Ethical considerations
As outlined in the study, this research ensured informed consent and confidentiality Researchers obtained informed consent from the participants before the beginning of the survey (Yzer & Gilasevitch, 2019). Relating to confidentiality, the respondents were required to provide coded responses. The feedback analysts were able to analyze the responses since they had years of experience in reasoned action elicitation surveys.
References
Cook, L., Mostazir, M., & Watkins, E. (2019). Reducing Stress and Preventing Depression (Respond): Randomized Controlled Trial of Web-Based Rumination-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for High-Ruminating University Students. Journal of medical Internet research, 21(5), e11349.
Tang, M. O., Oliffe, J. L., Galdas, P. M., Phinney, A., & Han, C. S. (2014). College men’s depression-related help-seeking: A gender analysis. Journal of Mental Health, 23(5), 219-224. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09638237.2014.910639
Yzer, M., & Gilasevitch, J. (2019). Beliefs underlying stress reduction and depression help-seeking among college students: An elicitation study. Journal of American College Health, 67(2), 153-160. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07448481.2018.1462828