Questionnaire DesignFor the past several weeks you have been researching the various methods used to assess PTSD in Women. To that end, you have described the measuring tools used previously to assess

Literature Review: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Women

Literature Review: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Women

Post-traumatic stress disorder is among the most prevalent psychological health disorders which have attracted an expansive scholarly study. This condition, often a sequel to stressful experiences, is popular among women who undergo or witness violence. Such cases have been extensively recorded in the Western literature. Abused women all over the world are subjects to post-traumatic violence just like those from the Western cultures although their experiences are less documented. The most popular types of violence that women are exposed to are related to sexual assault and partner-imposed violence. The main objective of this paper is to carry out a review of the measuring tools used by the researchers of two previous articles written on this subject. The paper will also propose a different measuring tool from the previous assignment and suggest some test items described in the same assignment which could be included in this measuring tool.

Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Battered Women in Lebanon

The research article ‘Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Battered Women in Lebanon’ was first published in the Journal of Interpersonal Violence in May 2014. The main subject in this article is the violence generated by men against women which is popular in Lebanon (Khadra, Wehbe, Fiola, Skaff, & Nehmé, 2014). This type of violence mainly occurs among intimate partners and may often result to major psychological complications. The subject of women battering is however not much explored in the Lebanese cultures. The goals of this research were: (1) to examine the extent of the prevalence of the signs of PTSD amid the physically abused females (2) to determine whether the rates of the signs of post-traumatic disorder (PTSD) are dependent on the sociodemographic variables, and (3) to expose other risk factors that can lead to the growth of the PTSD signs (Khadra, Wehbe, Fiola, Skaff, & Nehmé, 2014).

The measuring tools used in this research were majorly questionnaires. The physically abused women were first selected and later the research sample was identified. Only 95 percent met the criterion that was used for inclusion in the research as a respondent. 85 percent of the respondents were requested to complete a questionnaire (Khadra, Wehbe, Fiola, Skaff, & Nehmé, 2014). The test tools included in the questionnaire were varied depending on the variables they were testing. The first section was composed of sociodemographic questions which were meant to measure the rates of prevalence based on sociodemographic factors. The second section comprised of a bodily abuse scale obtained from the Composite Abuse Scale (CAS). This test item was meant to identify the frequency of PTSD amongst the females. The third section which was aimed at determining the other risk factors of PTSD was a PTSD checklist (Khadra, Wehbe, Fiola, Skaff, & Nehmé, 2014).

A questionnaire in this research was the most appropriate as the test items included helped to meet all the objectives of the research stated. The questions set were very objective to meet the goals of the research. Ideally, some people tend to be so secretive about their marital issues. The use of questionnaires in this research helped the researchers to gain all the required information through the stipulated ethical and legal dictates. The confidentiality of the women’s' identity was not breached. This is unlike in the cases where interviews are used as the major sources of information gathering. The respondents might not respond freely to the questions asked.

Women tend to be very emotional on matters relating to violence especially when talking about traumatic experiences. Choosing questionnaires to collect the desired information was, therefore, a wise thought by the researchers. People are more likely to get emotional in live conversations than in written conversations. In this case, if face to face conversations had been used, there are very high chances that most of the women would have broken into tears hindering the completion of the interviews. This would have been both unhealthy and unfair to them. The research objectives would hardly be met.

The use of questionnaires made it possible to collect large amounts of data from a large research sample within a short period of time. Almost all the women who had satisfied the selection criteria participated in the research. Information obtained using questionnaires can easily be used for comparisons among the participants. The data collected was also very accurate since it was recorded directly by the respondents.

Sexual Assault and Identity Disruption: A Sociological Approach to Posttraumatic Stress

The article ‘Sexual Assault and Identity Disruption: A Sociological Approach to Posttraumatic Stress’ was first published in 2017 in the American Sociological Association Journal. From this article, it is highly evident that sexual violence is still a major concern among women in the 21st century even after a series of legislations by the government authorities and the women rights organizations (Boyle, 2017). The research indicates that sexual harassment is a major source of the post-traumatic disorder among women. The research was aimed at determining the link between social life and PTSD resulting from sexual assault.

The main measuring tool used in this research was online surveys conducted on both the female and trans-gender university students (Boyle, 2017). The respondents were from a certain public institution located in the southeastern of the United States of America. The identity of the institution was not disclosed. An estimate of 569 women and 15 transgender qualified for the online survey out of the 9,975 potential participants (Boyle, 2017). The individuals who qualified were screened for possible sexual harassment. This was facilitated by the use of the Sexual Experiences Survey tool which poses questions which are interactively particular about assault due to prostration, bodily force and coercion (Boyle, 2017). Those who marked a harassment past were requested to answer some harassment and after-harassment interrogations relative to their latest violence. The assaults identified included the mild ones such as coercive fondling and kissing and the severe ones such as anal or oral penetration. 28 percent of the respondents had already experienced this at the age of 14 (Boyle, 2017).

Online surveys are the most appropriate measuring tools for college students. They are flexible, cheaper and the easiest for use by both the respondents and the researchers. By the use of online surveys, the researchers were able to adequately engage with their audience at limited costs. This online survey was also likely to provide more accurate information as the respondents were less fearful of their identity being disclosed. Most students usually have access to the internet and thus could easily participate in this research.

If I were to design another measuring tool for my topic, I would settle for a questionnaire. This would add more value to my research topic as the questions in the questionnaires would be aimed at revealing more truths about the post-traumatic stress disorder among women. In this case, I would closely check my items to ensure that they are objective to the goals of the research. I would adequately consider the fact that my respondents are women and use less gender-biased language in framing my questions. Also, there is much likelihood that the respondents will cover a wide age bracket. To address this, I would use a simple language in order to address any misunderstandings that could occur as a result of a complex language use.

Some of the test items described in the previous assignments could also be compatible with this new measuring tool. For instance, in order to identify the prevalence of PTSD among women, I would set a criteria for the signs to identify and satisfy PTSD. The participants would then be required to tick where appropriate. This would help categorize the respondents who do not meet the full criteria for PTSD. I would also paste the most appropriate questions from the Penne baker’s inventory of languidness (PILL) on the questionnaire. Such would also be accompanied by a scale ranging from 1-5. Adding these test items in the questionnaire would give more information about the respondents.

Post-traumatic disorder is a psychological health disorder that can affect everyone in their daily lives. Causes of PTSD range from loss, anxiety and violence. Despite its severity, this condition is treatable. Possible treatments include medication and counseling with the latter being the most popular intervention. Anyone who has PTSD should find a well-trained professional counselor to treat him/her. One should not decide to suffer in silence as this might have some serious health implications. The side effects attached to this condition can undoubtedly outweigh the gains presumed by the patient.

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References

Boyle, K. M. (2017). Sexual Assault and Identity Disruption: A Sociological Approach to Posttraumatic Stress. American Sociological Association, 7(2), 69-84.

Khadra, C., Wehbe, N., Fiola, J. L., Skaff, W., & Nehmé, M. (2014). Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Among Battered Women in Lebanon. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(2), 295-313.