Brown et al (1986) and Interviews Flashcards
What is an interview?
It involves verbal questioning of patients to gather information from them
What is a structured interview?
Where only questions prepared in advance are asked and these are not diverted from
What is a semi structured interview?
Some questions are prepared in advance while others are asked due to the flow of the conversation
What is an unstructured interview?
They have no prepared questions, just a topic and they ask questions based on responses
What are the interview steps?
- Establish rapport
- Describe project and code of ethics
- Get consent, show schedule
- Conduct interview
- End interview, debrief
- Take note
What were the aims of the study?
- Whether crisis support affects the onset of depression, even if low self esteem
- Whether a lack of support and low self esteem are vulnerability factors
- If support from a close relationship reduces risk
What design was used?
A prospective design where researchers gather data over a period of time rather than looking back - longitudinal
Why was a longitudinal design used?
It allowed risk factors to be studied as they didn’t already have depression so they could see if it developed
Where did the study take place?
North Islington, London
How many women were used?
395 (435 initially, but 50 already had depression so were ruled out)
What controls did they have regarding the sample?
- Only women with husbands in manual labour
- Had at least 1 child under 18 living at home
- Had to be aged 18-50
What did interviews measure in the first phase?
Measures of self esteem were taken and personal ties were measured and psychiatric history collected
What did interviews measure in the second phase?
Collected data about any onset of a psychiatric disorder a year later and measured stressful life events and social support
What measures were taken to ensure reliability?
11 interviewed by 2 clinicians, 10 rated by a second person
What was found in the severe life event tests?
150/303 had a severe event - 49.5%
What was found in the severe life event and the onset of depression tests?
11% had the onset of depression, 91% of those with the onset of depression had had a severe life event
What was found in the severe life event and depression and a negative self evaluation test?
33% of those with the onset of depression and a negative life event also had a negative view of themselves whereas 13% didn’t have a negative view
What was found concerning depression and crisis support?
92% of women who had crisis support saw it as helpful, 42% felt they had been let down, 44% who had no support initially developed depression
What was concluded in terms of close relationships?
Those who had a close relationship had a lesser chance of getting depression but if they felt let down by the relationship in a time of crisis, they had more of a chance
What was concluded in terms of low self esteem?
Low self esteem is implicated in the onset of depression after a crisis, a crisis seemed necessary
What is an issue regarding the sample used?
Only women used in lower classes, women of all classes get depression, men get depression, not generalisable
How did they increase generalisability?
Included single mothers but only people from london, large sample size
Was there reliability?
standardised procedure - could be replicated, 2 main phases, participants randomly selected
What could be difficult about the use of interviews?
Semi structured - difficult to replicate
Does it have application?
Offers ways to reduce the risk of developing depression, strong support network, high self esteem
Does it have validity?
Ensured that the 50 who already had depression were removed, specific criteria for sample - prevents influence of confounding variables
What is the difficulty with the fact that they used only people from London?
Depression may be the result of living in a city
How were the ethical guidelines adhered to?
Right to withdraw - people dropped out showing they knew of their right to withdraw
Informed consent was obtained via a GP
How did the semi structured interview limit validity?
Not everyone was asked the same questions, could have been influenced by researcher bias
Why did the interviews limit validity?
Social desirablity bias - people might not want to admit their low self esteem
What is an example of a question from the first phase of interviews?
‘Have you and your partner been living at home during the last year’
What is an example of a question from the second phase of interviews?
‘Have you had a serious illness in the last year or been seriously injured?’
