Introduction
Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research by Campbell and Stanley (1963) is notable for covering the subject of research design so effectively that the concepts presented in the book were applicable in the 1960s and can still be applied in 2016 (p. 13). Their work is particularly beneficial for those designing social sciences experiments since the majority of examples authors provided were linked to the spheres of psychology and education. To answer questions related to the Study of Relationship between HIV Treatment Compliance and Social Support among African American Women with HIV, the chosen research design is a qualitative and quantitative study.
According to Trochim (2006), applied social research is the most effective with the use of survey research (para. 1). Survey research implied asking questions to the participants of the study; it can range from interviews to short questionnaires. However, as stated by Ahern (2005), access to the Internet nowadays has made the process of looking for nursing research information much easier (p. 55).
Research Description
The research question “Study of Relationship between HIV Treatment Compliance and Social Support among African American Women with HIV” is important because women are more prone to HIV/AIDS incidence, as stated by Edwards (2006). The study included African American women infected with HIV to analyze their treatment compliance (p. 679). To study the relationship between HIV treatment and social support, quantitative research along with qualitative was chosen. About the study conducted by Ahern, it is important to address the appropriateness of Internet research and surveys for the chosen design. Since quantitative data does not call for thorough collection, the Internet will be appropriate for finding data on the quantity of HIV-affected African American women as well their treatment rates. However, to find connections between HIV treatment compliance and social support of women, surveys, and thorough interviews will provide more relevant data.
According to Sukamolson (n.d.), quantitative research is a type of study, which relates to the quantitative type of data collected in the course of the study; it is used in several social and natural sciences (p. 2). A qualitative study, on the other hand, “should be a reflective process operating through every stage of a project” (Maxwell, 2008, p. 214), meaning that the research relates to data collection and analysis, theory modification, dealing with the threats of validity, modification of research questions. All these components of the research are related to qualitative data, which cannot be attained through simple quantification.
Conclusion
To conclude, the chosen topic for research is relevant for identifying how social support affects HIV-affected women’s treatment. Even though Gonzalez et al. (2004), proved that social support positively affects HIV treatment adherence in men and women (p. 413), the chosen topic will specifically identify connections between treatment and social support in HIV-positive African American women.
References
Ahern, N. (2005). Using the Internet to conduct research. Nurse Res, 13(2), 55-70.
Campbell, D., & Stanley, J. (1963). Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs for Research. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Edwards, L. (2006). Perceived social support and HIV/AIDS medication adherence among African American women. Qual Health Res, 16(5), 679-691.
Gonzalez, J., Penedo, F., Antoni, M., Durán, R., McPherson-Baker, S., Ironson, G., Isabel Fernandez, M., Klimas, N., Fletcher, M-A., & Schneiderman, N. (2004) Social support, positive states of mind, and HIV adherence in men and women living with HIV/AIDS. Health Psychology, 23(4), 413-418.
Maxwell, J. (2008). Designing a qualitative study. Web.
Sukamolson, S. (n.d.). Fundamentals of quantitative research. Web.
Trochim, W. (2006). Survey Research. Web.