Childhood Maltreatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury - Essay Example

Critique/Analysis of an Article of Psychological Problem Shenk Chad, Jennie Noll, and Jennifer Cassarly conducted a study on the topic "A Multiple Mediational Test of the Relationship between Childhood Maltreatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury", which was published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence, volume 39, issue 4 in the year 2010 from pages 335 to 342. The main focus of the research was to estimate the mediational effects of post-traumatic stress symptoms, psychological dysregulation, and depressive symptoms within the same multiple mediator model. One aspect that motivated the three researchers into carrying out the study was that despite having been shown as mediators between child maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury, post-traumatic stress symptoms, depressive symptoms, and psychological dysregulation have not been tested when all the variables occur simultaneously. This research is interestingly beautiful and informative in as far as the issues concerning children maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury are concerned. Through this research, a lot of knowledge and information is derived in respect of some of the psychological problems that children face. In a bid to make their research more in-depth, Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer (336) significantly employed literature review. Through the literature review, the researchers provide a clear description of how children maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury has been of great concern especially in the contemporary society. Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer (336) confirmed from other studies that in most cases patients who have been maltreated or faced self-injury always prove to be suffering from the three psychological disorders at the same time. It is true from their confirmation that one area within psychological problems amongst children that has received a lot of attention is child maltreatment. Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer (336) in their literature review have shown the many researches and their prepositions in as far as child maltreatment is concerned. Additionally, Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer (336) identify the need to have more research on how the three aspects of child maltreatment can be studied simultaneously. Two aspects are identified from the reviewed literature, which lead the researchers to the research question and hypothesis. Indeed, there is no doubt that the literature review has been effectively conducted by the researchers hence giving them a lead to the hypothesis of the study. The researchers focused on testing two main hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that “Post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, and psychological dysregulation, will mediate the relationship between child maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury when estimated in individual mediator test” (Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer 336). The second hypothesis was, “The total indirect effect for a multiple mediator model where post-traumatic stress disorder, depressive symptoms, and psychological dysregulation are estimated simultaneously, will significantly explain the relationship between child maltreatment and non-suicidal self-injury” (Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer 336). In order to test these two hypotheses, Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer (336) employed 129 maltreated and 82 non-maltreated participants to a survey in order to collect adequate and effective data aiding at reaching a conclusion on the subject. Participants were female aged between 14 and 18 years. During the survey or study, maltreated women were obtained from referrals as having been maltreated as determined an agency on Child Protective Service. In this study, child maltreatment included physical neglect and contact physical or sexual abuse. Researchers further defined physical neglect as abandonment, inadequate supervision on children, failure to provide basic needs to children especially with respect to nutrition, hygiene, clothing, as well as shelter (Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer 336). Physical abuse was also defined by the researchers in order to obtain corresponding data. Participants 18 years of age were required to provide consent before engaging in the study. Research ethics demand that every participant involved in a study must give his/her consent before being accepted as a valid participant. The three main variables in the study were numerically defined. Data analysis involved the use of individual mediator analyses for every proposed mediator and the application of Sobel test also enhanced the analysis of data collected (Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer 337). Data collected was robust and full enough to respond to the research question through hypothesis testing (Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer 337). In this respect, the researchers employed the best research design for the study topic and hypotheses that needed to be tested in order to make appropriate conclusions. Through MANOVA (multivariate analysis of variance), the data obtained from the results were analyzed after development of appropriate measures for the three main constructs. The main reason for using MANOVA was to assess differences that existed amongst maltreated and comparison samples on the variable proposed in the study. In addition, the results were obtained from three individual tests of mediation together with tests of multiple mediations. The results of the study indicated that only post-traumatic stress symptoms mediated relationship the relationship that was between maltreatment and self-injury. This was true when all variables were included within the model. In addition, the results also indicated that post-traumatic stress symptoms is a unique pathway from self-injury and therefore demand special considerations and attentions especially in the event of assessing and treating specific behaviors related with the same amongst adolescent females. Following through the research, Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer were very effective especially in respect to employing required research tools in order to attain required results. For instance, from the data analysis and results obtained, the researchers are able to male well-founded interpretations and conclusions. Amazingly, such interpretations and conclusions are made with respect to the study topic. Since the study topic had a question to answer, the researchers have used their researching tools to come up with a convincing answer on the problem. Throughout the study, it is evident that the researchers considered all aspects of research including limitations. Limitations within study are those factors that may hinder completion of a given research. Having identified the limitations of time, the researchers opted for a smaller number of participants to engage in the study. From the conclusions made by the study, there are no particular concerns of validity taking into considerations that all factors and measures of validity and reliability were employed. For validity purposes, it is also wise as depicted within the research for researchers to have different measurement or data analysis tools or techniques, which will provide results that are the almost the same if not the same. In this perspective, there are no concerns of validity since it was well taken care of. Another important feature of this research is the fact that there were difficulties in identifying the right participants to the extent that they used control group. Even though experimental research designs like this use control group, it is usually clear that researchers are sometimes indifferent of the results hence the need to employ control group to help in confirming the data or results obtained. Indeed, the researchers contributed significantly to the field of psychology especially with respect to children. There is no doubt that many children suffer due to maltreatment thus ending up with different forms of psychological problems. The study by Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer is a good and positive move in respect to children psychology. From this research a lot of information can be deduced from post-trauma stress symptom amongst maltreated and self-injured children. This research has indicated the need to have well developed hypotheses that should be tested within the study. From the hypotheses, it becomes easier to collect data since that is always guided and not done haphazardly. Therefore, one effective aspect a young and upcoming researcher can learn from the study of Shenk, Jennie, and Jennifer is the need for organization especially in respect to developing hypothesis. In addition, the research has immensely contributed to understanding of cultural diversity since the participants were from different cultures. Work Cited Shenk, Chad., Jennie, Noll., and Jennifer, Cassarly. "A Multiple Mediational Test of the Relationship between Childhood Maltreatment and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39.4 (2010); 335 to 342. Read More