Background
Review the following research summary:
Research Overview
Number of Participants: 200.
Population Characteristics: Lower socio-economic status (SES) Hispanic males ages 18-45.
Sampling: Convenience sampling.
Clinical Area of Concern: Symptoms of depression.
Clinical Intervention: Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (Group CBT).
Data Collection Measure: Beck Depression Inventory - Second Edition (BDI-II).
Research Methodology: Quantitative (pre/post control group design).
Data Analysis: Repeated Measures ANOVA.
Participants
Participants were recruited from offices of physicians who worked with Hispanic males. Physicians were reimbursed $50 for every Hispanic male they referred to the program evaluation project. During the intake and informed consent process, researchers had to work with dictionaries to help interpret and translate some aspects of the informed consent document to participants.
Procedures
Participants completed the pre-test administration of BDI-II and then were randomly assigned to either the control condition (a wait list control group) or to the treatment condition (Group Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). Each condition had 100 participants and the Group CBT participants participated in 10 x 90 minute group CBT sessions over a 10-week period (met once for 90 minutes a week). Upon completion of the 10th and last session, group CBT participants completed the post-test administration of the BDI-II. The control condition participants completed the post-test administration of the BDI-II on the same day that the Group CBT participants.
10 Masters level counselors ran the groups after participating in a 24-hour (3-day, 8 hours a day) training program on Group CBT.
Results
Results of the BDI-II indicate that there was no significant difference between changes in symptoms of depression as measured by the BDI-II. In fact, the symptoms of depression as measured by the BDI-II increased in the Group CBT as compared to the control condition.
These results indicate that lower SES Hispanic males struggling with symptoms of depression will not benefit from Group CBT. The use of other interventions would probably be advised for future research. Additionally, the SES Hispanic males may have been overtly defensive and not open to counseling interventions in general.
Future research could also benefit from the inclusion of a qualitative component to the study where the group sessions would be recorded and analyzed to explore for potential themes that could further inform future research.
Discussion
Can you answer the following questions based on the research summary outlined above:
What, if any, ethical concerns are there?
What, if any, legal concerns are there?
What, if any, cultural concerns are there?
Do you believe that a limitations section would have been appropriate? If so, what aspects of the study would be addressed?
If you were reporting the results part of the study, what would you write?
Please incorporate information from at least four peer-reviewed journal articles, or at least two peer-reviewed journal articles and two books to support your statements.
500 words in length or more.