Here is a brief summary of a fictitious intervention study. Read the summary and then respond to the questions that follow.
Gabris and Hijar were interested in developing and testing an intervention to reduce anxiety and asthma symptoms among young minority adolescents with asthma. They began by undertaking a thorough literature review of both the qualitative literature on adolescents’ experience of asthma and other chronic illnesses in children and literature on the effects of various interventions for related populations. As a means of better understanding the needs of young minority adolescents living in disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, and their barriers to self-management of asthma, the researchers conducted in-depth interviews with a sample of 25 asthmatic youth. They also held focus group sessions with 14 parents of adolescent children with asthma to assess ways in which parental support plays a role in managing the illness. On the basis of their preliminary work, Gabris and Hijar formulated a conceptual model that integrated concepts from self-care theory and stress and coping theories. The model was the basis for developing a 4-week psychoeducational program that included relaxation-breathing training and self-management training. The intervention involved educational sessions, role-playing scenarios, and a CD for home practice. The intervention was tested for feasibility and preliminary effectiveness using a pretest–posttest one-group design with a sample of 50 students and their mothers, none of whom had participated in the in-depth study. The outcomes of interest were anxiety levels, knowledge about asthma self-management, self-perceived health status, and peak expiratory flow.
Short-Answer Questions
a. Would the intervention described in this abstract be considered a complex intervention? If yes, what are elements that make it complex?
b. How many phases of an intervention study were briefly described in this abstract?
c. Were the data collected in this study qualitative, quantitative, or both?
d. What sequencing approach was used in this study?
e. What type of mixed methods sampling strategy was used in this study?
Essay Questions
a. Comment on the sequencing decisions made in this study. Would a different sequencing have yielded stronger evidence? Defend your recommendations.
b. Comment on the sampling design used in this study. Would a different sampling approach have been superior? Defend your recommendations.
c. Describe an additional substudy that could have been undertaken as part of the development work in this project.
d. Specify the design that you would recommend for the next phase of this research.
e. Describe some questions that could have been addressed in the second phase of the study using qualitative methods.