For the past ten weeks, you have actively planned the construction of a survey tool which could be piloted in the real world. Subsequently, you conducted an item analysis to identify the best-fit item

Running head: PTSD IN WOMEN 0

PTSD in Women: An Evaluation of Research Tools Used by Researchers

PTSD is a type of disorder that develops in individuals who have had a shocking, dangerous or scary experience. Some researchers have conducted various studies into the effects, causes, and events of PTSD in women. These researchers have used different tools to perform their surveys and gather information which they use to derive different conclusions. This essay purposes to critically analyze two specific articles and evaluate the tools that the researchers in these articles have utilized to find information. The first article examined in this essay is a research article written by Liu, Jiang, & Wu (2017), which tries to identify the association which exists between PTSD symptoms and Social Support in ovarian cancer Patients living in China using multiple mediation models. The second article analyzed in this essay was written by Beyond Blue (2017) to investigate the understanding and treatment of PTSD among incarcerated indigenous women.

In the first article written by Liu, Jiang, & Wu (2017), the researchers have used some tools to obtain the results of the research problem. The researchers have used convenience sampling to ensure that only the required participants are included in the research. The primary objective of the researchers was to analyze patients who have ovarian cancer. Therefore, only patients who have ovarian cancer were included in the sample. The researchers then used PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version, the Herth Hope Index, the Duke-UNC Functional Social Support survey Questionnaire and the Resilience Scale-14 as significant tools to conduct the inquiry.

The PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version was used to assess the PTSD symptoms in the patients. In this case, each item was given a rating based on a five-point grid (5= extremely; 1= not at all), concerning how much the specific symptoms proved stubborn to the patient in the previous month. Under this tool, scores greater than or equal to 44 were assumed to portray the symptoms of PTSD. In the specific article, the patients were asked for their comments on their feelings and experience with the treatment process.

The second tool used by the researchers was the Duke-UNC Social Support Survey to access whether the patients received social support. Using this tool, they were able to rate each item on a five-point Likert scale (5= as much as I would expect; 1= less than I would expect)

Another tool used in the article was the Herth Hope Index to evaluate the hope of the patients using the Herth Hope Grid. In this case, a questionnaire with twelve items arranged on a four-point grid whereby four represented strongly agree and one represented strongly disagree was given to the patients to fill.

After using the three tools to find information from the participants, the researchers used both descriptive and clinical analysis to evaluate the data obtained and found out that participants with stronger levels of resilience and hope often demonstrate a strengthening impact of social support received by the patients on the PTSD symptoms. Therefore efforts to eliminate the symptoms of PTSD from the patients should not only be focused on resilience and hope but also social support.

In the second Research article, written by Beyond Blue (2017) the researcher mainly focused on four aspects of PTSD- suicide, trauma, culture, and transition to the community to analyze how people can improve on their understanding and treatment of PTSD among the indigenous women who are either jailed or held in custody. The researcher used three primary tools to conduct the review- Paper-based Structured Questionnaire, Qualitative interview, and clinical diagnostic interview.

The questionnaire encompassed questions about custodial experiences, suicidal thoughts, suicidal actions, mental health service experiences, and demographics. Also, the researcher used a psychosis screening tool and some PTSD- linked measures like Kessler Psychological Distress Scale, Culturally-Specific trauma events questions, Growth and Empowerment Measure, Trauma Symptoms Checklist and Post-Traumatic Cognitions Inventory (PTCI).

Apart from the questionnaire, the researcher also used clinical diagnostic interviews. In this case, the World Health Organization World Mental Health-CDI computer Assisted Personal Interview was used. This is a computer-based interview aid used to measure the prevalence, severity and the burden of PTSD disorders. This tool was used primarily for women who were screened as positive for psychosis in the article. The last tool used was the qualitative interviews, which were conducted on a subset of women who screened PTSD positive during the screening process to enable them to contribute their views about the impact of PTSD on their lives.

According to the above research, PTSD is prevalent among indigenous women in custody. Also, the presence of this disorder among women in custody is linked to marked mental health problems reflected in a greater possibility of co-occurring mental illness, psychological distress and more suicidal thoughts and actions.

This essay does not dispute that in the two articles discussed above, the researchers used the specific tools accordingly to achieve dependable results. However, in the first article written by Liu, Jiang, & Wu (2017), the researchers have only majored on the impacts of PTSD on the patients and have not advised the participants on self-test procedures and assessment instruments that could be used by the patients to know whether they might be suffering from PTSD disorders. This could be done by incorporating a life-events checklist (LEC) as a tool in the structured and semi-structured questionnaires administered.

It is also apparent in the second article written by Beyond Blue (2017), that the researcher has only majored on the prevalence and impacts of PTSD in patients, but has ignored the ways by which patients may evaluate whether they have PTSD. In other words, the researcher has concentrated more on the screening process, rather than the assessment procedures for PTSD. Therefore, the researcher could come up with more useful results if they could also use Life-events Checklist to conduct assessments on the possibility of the participants who have PTSD before performing the screening process.

Therefore, in both cases, in preparing the questionnaires, the Researchers were to include the Life-events checklist. If this is included, then the questionnaire would look as follows:

The Questionnaire

Survey Questionnaire

Introduction

Hello, how are you? Do you have some time to talk to me for about an hour? I would like to ask you some questions for a research project on PTSD that we are currently conducting. We would want to investigate how PTSD affects women. Your participation will be purely on voluntary basis and the information you will give us will be kept confidential.

I will much appreciate your assistance in answering the questionnaire. I will ask you about your experiences, feelings and other issues that have affected your way of life, behaviours, and reactions.

Do you have any questions for me?

May I start the interview now?

YES

Have you or your friend (Loved one) witnessed or experienced a life stressing or threatening event that caused horror, helplessness or intense fear?

If YES, please briefly describe the event in the space below:

Do you or Your Friend (Loved one) re-experience the occurrence in at least the following ways?

YES	NO	Frightening Dreams and distressing memories
YES	NO	Flashbacks( Feeling as if the event were re-occurring)
YES	NO	Intense emotional or physical distress when you are exposed to other events that remind you the occurrence

Do you or your friend (Loved one) avoid being reminded of the event and feel numb compared to the way you behaved before the event occurred?

YES	NO	Avoiding conversations, thoughts or feelings about it
YES	NO	Avoiding places, people or activities which remind me of it
YES	NO	Losing interest in important activities of my life
YES	NO	Feeling disowned/ separated from other people
YES	NO	Feeling my range of emotions have been restricted
YES	NO	Feeling that My future has been deteriorated ( I do not expect to have children, get married, get a job or live a normal life)

Are you or your friend (Loved One) troubled by two or more of the following?

YES	NO	Outbursts of anger
YES	NO	Difficulties I concentrating
YES	NO	Problems sleeping
YES	NO	Feeling uneasy
YES	NO	An exaggerated startle response

Most of the times, do you or your friend (Loved One) feel:

YES	NO	Disinterested?
YES	NO	Guilty?
YES	NO	Worthless?

During the past year, has alcohol or drug abuse:

YES	NO	Resulted in your inability to fulfil your expectations at work, family or school?
YES	NO	Placed you in a compromising situation like drunk driving?
YES	NO	Made you arrested?
YES	NO	Continued despite causing trouble for your children, loved ones or yourself?
YES	NO
YES	NO

Add anything you would want to say about your experience, feelings, and way of life, family, friends or any other issue after the event that you have not been asked here in the space below:

In Case you change your location from this village, how can we contact you?

Name---------------------Address---------------------Telephone------Gender-------------------Age-------------

Administration of the Survey

I will use interviews in administering the above survey questionnaire. In this case, the interview will be qualitative. I will collect data from the participants through personal interactions, whereby I will ask questions in person and give the participants time to respond to one question before going to the next question. This will enable me to clarify the unclear and complicated questions for the respondents. It will also enable me to see the facial expressions and the reactions of the respondents when answering specific questions.

References

Beyond Blue. (2017). The Family Business: Improving the Understanding and Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder among Incarcerated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women. Beyond Blue.

Liu, Z., Jiang, H., & Wu, H. (2017). Association Social Support and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Chinese Patients with Ovarian Cancer: A Multiple Mediation Model. PLoS ONE, 25(12), 1-16.