ERIC Number: EJ1183506
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jul
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1049-7315
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Trends in Methodological Quality in Controlled Trials of Psychological and Social Interventions
Sundell, Knut; Åhsberg, Elizabeth
Research on Social Work Practice, v28 n5 p568-576 Jul 2018
Objective: There is substantial evidence that poorly designed and reported research can mislead decision making in clinical care. This review investigates the methodological quality of Swedish trials of a wide array of psychological and social interventions. Method: The review includes 302 articles published in peer-reviewed journals during 1990-2014, which evaluated a psychological or social intervention; included a randomized or nonrandomized control group with a pre-post- or pre-follow-up design; and targeted individuals in order to prevent or rehabilitate from physical, psychological, or social problems. The results are based on the information reported in the articles. Results: Overall, methodological quality increased with time. However, more recent studies contained methodological deficits. For example, few had used blinded data collectors, reported power analyses, or searched for adverse events. Conclusion: The results indicate a potential risk of biased results in both older and newer trials. Possible implications for practice and research are discussed. [Paper presented at the Stockholm Conference on Behavioral and Social Intervention Research, 11-12 May, 2017.]
Descriptors: Randomized Controlled Trials, Pretests Posttests, Control Groups, Intervention, Experimental Groups, Foreign Countries, Multiple Regression Analysis, Bias, Risk, Research Methodology, Literature Reviews, Statistical Analysis
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2814
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Sweden
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A