Mental Health Well-being Among Unemployed Middle-aged Adults
Mathematics
Thinking about modes of administration & sampling frames, please discuss and answer the following questions.
Before considering the questions, make sure you review the assigned reading on employment and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) appended at the end of this exercise.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (7 December 2018). The Employment Situation – November 2018. Available at: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf
RESEARCH QUESTIONS:
You and your colleague are proposing to design a study to explore the following research questions:
- What is the current and past-month mood (symptoms of depression) of unemployed middle-aged adults?
- What are the perceptions of how their work status is affecting their family relationships?
The results of the survey, which will be representative of the US, will inform the design of an intervention. As part of the study design, you will need to consider how to define elements of the research question, decide on a sampling frame, and consider the pros and cons of modes of survey administration.
Defining Componsents of the Research Question:
1. Define “unemployed”
2. Define “middle-aged adult”
Sampling Frame:
3. Next, you need to figure out how to find your sample.
Thinking points:
- What are the properties of a good sampling frame?
- How does the Department of Labor define unemployment?
- What are some of the challenges in interpreting unemployment rates?
- What is the current unemployment rate?
What are the pros and cons of the following sampling frames? What information would you need about the sampling frames to make an informed decision? Not every frame has to have multiple pros or multiple cons.
3a. Voting rolls
3b. AARP membership list
Mode of Collection:
4. Your collague proposes to conduct the survey by telephone. What are some of the pros and cons of using this mode of administration? Assume that you can get complete and accurate contact information for people in your sampling frame.
Thinking points: Time to results, implications for sampling, ability to collect valid data.
Alternative Approaches:
5. OK, no sampling frame is perfect. What are some other approaches you could use?
