Topic
Stress is a severe mental health problem, especially among teenagers. One cause of stress, which is hardly talked about and assessed, is student exposure to certain kinds of research. Flagel et al. (2007) argue that the most sensitive interviews done in a clinical context result in much stress among learners. Little research has focused on the point of view of learners and the risks involved in these research procedures. While there are many causes of stress, including financial issues, bad grades, and pressure from parents among students, the impact of clinical interviews must not be ignored. Flagel et al. (2007) suggest that minimal risk should be assed further when subjecting learners to certain kinds of research so that their mental health can remain intact.
Kind of study
Flagel et al. (2007) use the exploratory design study method to research how clinical psychological research, interviews, and procedures affect some students in as much as it is a valuable learning process. The authors focus on providing more insights on how the perception of minimal risks varies among people. They seek to familiarize the reader, educators, and other researchers with further investigation and concerns. The authors offer a well-rounded picture of the situation, citing that many researchers have evaluated the effect of research participation on students, although little is known about their perceptions of risks and levels of stress linked to these participations. The study caters to the future by suggesting that students should be informed of the ethical review procedures during their learning processes.
Methods and Procedures, Study, Research Questions Participants, Results
The research method used was questionnaires. It involved completing questions concerning the encounters of 101 volunteer first-year psychology learners with university research to determine if they felt the study was stressful and the components of it that resulted in stress (Flagel et al., 2007). In the school, at least 90% of students had concluded a research project (Flagel et al., 2007). The research questions included; why did you serve as a research participant? And to what extent do you think participation was stressful? According to some students, the research practice was a valuable experience. Those who felt stress associated with the whole exercise argued that it lacked confidentiality and evaluation of individual performance by others. To others, there was little knowledge provided about the ethical review process of the research. Most students argued that they participate in research to receive a bonus point regardless of its mental impact. Generally, at least 44 participants suggested that the study was stressful.
Lesson From the Process of Locating the Article for This Exercise
Locating the article was less tiresome since, during the class presentation, the librarian gave us the link to databases and explained how to click and search various research topics. The librarian provided details on the distinctions between library and internet materials and why it remains crucial to understand the difference. Information from databases was more valuable and credible compared to that in largely opinion-based internet sources. During the research process, I discovered how hard it was locating an article of choice when you lacked knowledge on the difference between articles from databases and primary sources. However, the exercise was made more accessible through learning in class.
Lessons From the Topic from The Content of The Article, Choice of Topic and How I Might Use the Information
From the content of the article, I discovered that there are many causes of stress. Some causes of stress result from schoolwork, specifically from student perceptions about specific tasks. People grow up in different environments and develop different perceptions concerning what is risky and what is not. Whenever psychology learners engage in research in clinical settings, they encounter a lot of stress from the information they have to give and that which they have to obtain from clients to cater for their research. The ethical review process of what stands as risky has to be evaluated by all learners to ensure that each one of them understands the magnitude and impact of the study on their mental health. Although most students participate in clinical research for full academic credit, educators need to identify that they also need to be involved in the whole research process. This means that stress can be avoided if students are motivated enough to participate in this exercise, besides boosting their grades.
The reason why I chose stress as my topic is because I have encountered a lot of stress while researching my projects. In most cases, you have to develop a series of personal, private questions that you would not answer yourself and subject these questions to participants. Some participants question the researcher’s courage to ask such questions and brush them off in a hurry in disgust. Through this topic and research, I have discovered that it would be less stressful to conduct this research if I had more insights into ethical procedures and the risks involved. It is easier to handle situations when I have knowledge of these risks and what to expect. This information helps ensure that I assess my attitude when participating in specific research areas to prevent unnecessary academic stress. I can also use this information to educate peers on why they feel stressed after conducting clinical research.
Conclusions
The research is relevant in addressing an essential stress factor. IN this course, for instance, we are already engaged in research work, and our teachers are competent enough to guide us through the whole research procedure. While it is likely that a few students might be going through the stress I research, it would be based on other factors other than lack of understanding of the whole ethical procedures. Research on stress is relevant in impacting various aspects of life. It affects human development, including relationships, work performances, energy levels in school, and mood, and help in reducing more mental and physical health conditions among learners.
References
Flagel, D. C., Best, L. A., & Hunter, A. C. (2007). Perceptions of stress among students participating in psychology research: A Canadian survey. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, 2(3), 61-67. file:///C:/Users/User/Downloads/jer.2007.2.3.61.pdf. Retrieved September 16, 2021, from JSTOR database.
