Research Methods

1. An Introductory Course Research Methods

2. Course Aims Provide an introduction to research methods Underlying principles Introduction to key methodological issues Ethics of research

3. Research Methods • Knowledge will be assessed in an examination next semester (March) Public Health Psychiatry & Psychiatric Research Methodology • Individual Research Project: • Dissertation: 85% • Oral: 15%

4. Course Outline Week 1: Aims, objectives & hypothesis Literature searching Week 2: Study Design Methodological considerations Week 3: Qualitative Methods Introduction to statistics Week 4: Analysing & Presenting your results Data analysis software Week 5: Writing your discussions & conclusions How and Where to publish

5. Course Outline Week 6: Research Ethics Opportunity to discuss your individual projects

6. Individual Research Projects • An area of special interest to you • Original hypothesis to test in Malawian context • Area where there has been little previous research • Area well researched internationally but not in Malawian/ low income context • Evidence based approach

7. Objectives for Research Project • To conduct research and analyse the results obtained • To emphasise the importance of an evidence-base for contemporary psychiatric practice • To assess the publications and research of others

8. Research Projects: Timescale Prior to going to Cape Town: • COMREC application and approval • Data collection: in process or completed Whilst in South Africa • Analysis or results and writing up

9. Research Projects • Specific • Measurable • Achievable • Realistic • Timely

10. Research Project • Research Supervision • Identify suitable supervisor: Malawi and external if needed • Someone who has specific expertise • General supervision: ensure progress Arrange to meet regularly: you need to be pro-active! Please get in touch if problems, don’t wait until its too late!

11. Research Proposal • Submission to COMREC • November Deadline • Ensure all paperwork prepared in advance

12. Research: First Steps • Have an idea • Review the relevant literature • Realistically evaluate what you can do • Write research proposal

13. Your research proposal • Title • Aims and Objectives • Background • Methods • Results • Conclusions & Discussions • References • Costs (10% COM fee) • Appendices

14. Aims & Objectives • What are you aiming to find out? • General Aim or Ultimate Objective • Specific Objectives

15. Overall Aim • Statement which describes the expected implications or contributions arising from the study • Improve morbidity, mortality • Specify into realistic objective e.g. providing information to improve services • Relates your research to the broader social, economic and health context • Helps justify why your research is needed

16. EXAMPLE OF AIM • To investigate how maternal mental healthcare could be integrated into maternal and child health programmes in a low income country, specifically Malawi

17. Exercise: • Write down an overall aim or ultimate objective for a research project

18. Immediate OBJECTIVES • More specific • Outlines what will be done Operational tasks, which have to be achieved to meet the aims

19. Example • To outline the current provision of mental health support for mothers within maternal and child health programmes • To identify barriers to the provision of mental health interventions for mothers • To identify areas of collaboration and key partners for the future development of mental health interventions for mothers in Malawi

20. Exercise • Using your aim as a guide, write down 3 specific objectives

21. Study Hypothesis • Hypothesis generating study (exploratory, qualitative) • Hypothesis testing study (quantitative, interventional)

22. Hypothesis Testing • Scientific statement of expected relationship amongst variables. • Direct and guide the research • Indicate the major independent and dependent variables of interest • Guide what data is collected and how analysed to measure relationship between variables

23. Hypothesis • May be derived from concepts (abstract ideas), and formal theories or models Or from observations or existing findings • Are not always value-free! What assumptions/biases do you have? - consider them explicitly

24. Variables • Independent variable (A): causes or influences the dependent (B) variable • Direct influence: when A changes B changes • Indirect influence: A acts on an intermediate variable (C, D..) which influences B

25. Example

26. Example of Hypothesis • People with higher level of knowledge will be more likely to use HIV testing services than people with lower levels of knowledge. Statement of expected relationship between two or more variables

27. Specifying your hypothesis Consider PICO: • Population • Intervention • Comparison • Outcome

28. Exercise Write down your own hypothesis, specifying the independent and dependent variables and making a statement of the expected relationship between the variables

29. Any Questions or Comments?

30. Suggested Core Texts • Research Methods in Health, Ann Bowling. 3rd Edition. (OUP) 2009. • Practical Psychiatric Epidemiology, Martin Prince, Robert Stewart, Tamsin Ford, Matthew Hotopf (OUP) 2003 • Critical Appraisal for Psychiatry - Stephen Lawrie, Andrew McIntosh, Sanjay Rao (Churchill Livingstone) 2000 • How to Read a Paper: The Basics of Evidence-Based Medicine - Greenhalgh(Wiley-Blackwell)