Critique of Quantitative Study – Family Contexts and Sleep During Adolescence

Critique of Quantitative Study – Family Contexts and Sleep During Adolescence

Statistical Power

There was adequate statistical power in the research. This is because a large sample size was used in the research. As evident in the manuscript, 1095 adolescents with 6,276 sleep nights informed the research findings, translating to a large sample size. The operationalization of the independent variables also created a stroke contrast, further enhancing the statistical power. The independent variables were defined clearly. There were also subtle differences between the variables. The independent variables used in the research were family structure measures, such as marital status and the presence of grandparents in the households. The confounding variables were also controlled to enhance precision and strengthen the statistical power. As evident in the research, the variables were created using caregiver surveys for the independent variables. The dependent variables were also formulated based on an EMA prompt. Not finding the hypothesis may not necessarily mean the validity of the statistical conclusion was compromised. Some research, such as exploratory research, may not have a hypothesis. Such studies usually aim at exploring a specific area to formulate a hypothesis that can be tested in subsequent research studies (Lund, 2021).

Intervention Fidelity

Intervention fidelity in intervention studies defines the extent to which the intervention is implemented as intended by the investigator. Intervention fidelity was maintained in the research under scrutiny in many ways. To begin with, entrance surveys were applied to all the study participants to ensure that only candidates meeting the set criteria were involved in the study. A statistical method was also used that placed more weight on the sleep duration of the participating adolescents. The study, however, does not highlight whether or not the staff were adequately trained or whether the staff selected had sufficient experience or skills to facilitate the participants’ receipt of the interventions. Other than statistical analysis tools being used, there is little information on intervention monitoring, including how the interventions were monitored. There is also limited information on whether the researcher paid attention to the delivery and receipt of the intervention. The authors, however, noted that ecological momentary assessment (EMA) data was used during the delivery of the interventions. Likewise, statistical analysis was used during data receipt, thereby ensuring that just the required data was obtained.

Eliminating Selection Bias and Confounding Characteristics

The study limited its participants to adolescents with at least three nights of sleep data. While there is robust information on the reliability of the data used in the research, there is little information on how selection biases were eliminated or minimized. The authors noted that statistical data analyses were used that gave weight to sleep duration rather than other demographic parameters. The study, however, took several steps to control confounding participant characteristics that could affect the equivalence of groups being compared. These include using a participant entrance survey, obtaining ecological momentary assessment data, and an exit survey administered at the end of the process. These steps ensured the elimination of confounding characteristics, allowing the researcher to obtain relevant data.

Internal Validity

The research design considerably lowered the plausibility of threats to internal validity. In the research presented, the authors identified factors such as history, maturation, testing, gender, the age and race of the youth, and the number of children in the household as some of the factors that could threaten the internal validity of the research. The authors ruled out these threats by using a large sample group. The sample size used in the study was 1095 adolescents with a total of 6,276 sleep nights. This considerably lowered the impact of history on internal validity. The addition of a control group also ensured that the threat attributable to race, age, number of children in the household, and gender were addressed. In general, the internal validity of the study was excellent. The fact that the research was able to rule out confounding factors that would have explained the result highlights its internal validity.

Construct Validity

Construct validity defines the extent to which a test measures what it was intended to measure. The authors enhanced the research operationalization by employing diverse models in data collection, participant selection, and establishing the study variables. This considerably minimized potential threats to the construct validity of the study. There was a good match between the underlying conceptualization of the intervention and its operationalization. As evident in the study, the study was postulated on the precinct that family contexts directly influenced the sleep regularity of adolescents. In this respect, family contexts such as marital status were identified as one of the factors that could result in inter-individual sleep variations. The authors draw a nexus between the operationalizations of the intervention and the conceptual framework by utilizing aspects of the conceptual framework as the research variables.

The study further assesses whether family contexts have a predilection for sleep regularity. The interventions were not confounded by the researchers’ expectations. The setting was a good exemplar of the type of settings envisioned in the conceptualization. The data utilized in the research was adopted from the Adolescent Health and Development in Context (AHDC) study, which emphasized the role of biological, psychological, and social factors in shaping adolescent developmental outcomes. Additionally, data was collected in multiple contexts of adolescent development, with households selected having adolescents aged between 11 and 17.

The Context of the Study and Its Capacity for External Validity

The context of the study was sufficiently described. To begin with, the authors identified the study participants, as well as the criteria used to arrive at the participants. As evident in the research, the participants were adolescents aged between 11 and 17, mainly drawn from the urbanized area of Franklin County. Additionally, the persons selected for the study met the criteria of having at least three sets of sleep data. Other characteristics of the participants, such as race, gender, number of children in the household, and the family context, were identified by the authors, giving the research a broader demographic and interpersonal perspective. In general, the participants selected for the study were of diverse characteristics and backgrounds. Despite being from a predominantly one setting, the sample size used was relatively large. This considerably enhanced its capacity for external validity. The participants were of the type to which the results were designed to be generalized. The large sample size allows for generalizability. However, the setting does not allow for generalizability. The participants were mainly drawn from an urbanized area of Franklin County. However, urban and rural dynamics sometimes differ, and demographic features observed in urban areas may not necessarily apply in rural settings (Koster et al., 2020).

Balancing Validity Concerns

Overall, the researchers appropriately balanced the validity concerns. Internal validity was excellent as the researchers adequately addressed the threats to internal validity. The construct validity and the external validity were also excellent. There is no evidence that the researchers paid attention to the internal validity to the extent of the external validity.

References

Koster, S., Brouwer, A. E., & van Leeuwen, E. S. (2020). Diversity as the key to success? Urban and rural employment dynamics in the Netherlands. Regional Studies, 54(9), 1187–1199. https://doi.org/10.1080/00343404.2019.1699652

Lund, T. (2021). Research problems and hypotheses in empirical research. Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research, 66(7), 1183–1193. https://doi.org/10.1080/00313831.2021.1982765

Polit, D. F., & Beck, C. T. (2021). Nursing research: Generating and assessing evidence for nursing practice (11^th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer.

Schmeer, K. K., Tarrence, J., Browning, C. R., Calder, C. A., Ford, J. L., & Boettner, B. (2019). Family contexts and sleep during adolescence. SSM – Population Health, 7. https://doi.org./10.1016/

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Critique of Quantitative Study – Family Contexts and Sleep During Adolescence

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