Abstract
This chapter will try to answer on how to conduct relevant quantitative studies, using valid and reliable methodology, in order to obtain comparable and practicaly meaningful results in social trauma field. This will be done through the discussion of main study phases: (a) developement of the important research questions on social trauma (e.g., possible outcomes or correlates, possible mediators and moderators, effective treatment and protective factors etc.), (b) implementation of an appropriate study design, (c) decision on sampling strategy and control group issues, (d) application of validated measures and adequate assessment procedures, as well as dealing with their chalenges, and (e) performing proper statistic analysis of quantitative data. Examples of good research practice will be given in order to vividly illustrate these theoretical considerations.
In addition, importance of scientific (quantitative) research approach, specificaly in social trauma field, will be emphasized. Moreover, the reader will become familiar with strengthenesses, weaknesses and limitations of quantitaive approach, as well as ethical standards that can prevent its misusage. Finally, future directions and open questions will be discussed.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ben-Shlomo, Y., Brookes, S., & Hickman, M. (2013). Lecture notes: Epidemiology, evidence-based medicine and public health (6th ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Betancourt, T. S., & Khan, K. T. (2008). The mental health of children affected by armed conflict: Protective processes and pathways to resilience. International Review of Psychiatry, 20(3), 317–328.
Breslau, N., Peterson, E. L., & Schultz, L. R. (2008). A second look at prior trauma and the posttraumatic stress disorder effects of subsequent trauma: A prospective epidemiological study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 65(4), 431–437.
Foa, E. B., McLean, C. P., Zang, Y., Zhong, J., Powers, M. B., Kauffman, B. Y., … Knowles, K. (2016). Psychometric properties of the posttraumatic diagnostic scale for DSM-5 (PDS-5). Psychological Assessment, 28(10), 1166.
Fonagy, P. (2015). Methodological considerations in evaluating the outcome of psychoanalzsis. In M. Leuzinger-Bohleber & H. Kächele (Eds.), An open door review of outcome and process studies in psychoanalysis (pp. 61–80). London: International Psychoanalytical Association.
Ford, J. D., Racusin, R., Ellis, C. G., Daviss, W. B., Reiser, J., Fleischer, A., & Thomas, J. (2000). Child maltreatment, other trauma exposure, and posttraumatic symptomatology among children with oppositional defiant and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders. Child Maltreatment, 5(3), 205–217.
Ghosh-Ippen, C., Ford, J., Racusin, R., Acker, M., Bosquet, K., Rogers, C., & Edwards, J. (2002). Traumatic events screening inventory-parent report revised-long version. PsycTESTS Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/t30813-000
Kazdin, A. E. (1992). Research design in clinical psychology (Vol. 3). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Krishna, R., Maithreyi, R., & Surapaneni, K. M. (2010). Research bias: A review for medical students. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, 4(2), 2320–2324.
Krueger, R. F., & Markon, K. E. (2006). Understanding psychopathology: Melding behavior genetics, personality, and quantitative psychology to develop an empirically based model. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15(3), 113–117.
Mollica, R., MCdonald, L., Massagli, M., & Silove, D. (2004). Measuring trauma, measuring torture: Instructions and guidance on the utilization of the Harvard program in refugee Trauma’s versions of the Hopkins symptom Checklist-25 (HSCL-25) and the Harvard trauma questionnaire (HTQ). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma.
Mollica, R. F., Caspi-Yavin, Y., Bollini, P., Truong, T., Tor, S., & Lavelle, J. (1992). The Harvard trauma questionnaire: Validating a cross-cultural instrument for measuring torture, trauma, and posttraumatic stress disorder in Indochinese refugees. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 180, 111–116.
Moser, U., & von Zeppelin, I. (1996). Der geträumte Traum: wie Träume entstehen und sich verändern. Kohlhammer.
Murphy, S., Elklit, A., Dokkedahl, S., & Shevlin, M. (2017). Anger, guilt and shame as mediators in the relationship between war experiences and PTSD: Testing the moderating role of child soldier status. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 10(4), 323–331.
Ortlepp, K., & Friedman, M. (2002). Prevalence and correlates of secondary traumatic stress in workplace lay trauma counselors. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15(3), 213–222.
Stover, C. S., & Berkowitz, S. (2005). Assessing violence exposure and trauma symptoms in young children: A critical review of measures. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 18(6), 707–717.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Protić, S. (2021). Quantitative Research in Social Trauma. In: Hamburger, A., Hancheva, C., Volkan, V.D. (eds) Social Trauma – An Interdisciplinary Textbook. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47817-9_34
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47817-9_34
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-47816-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-47817-9
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyBehavioral Science and Psychology (R0)