CRITIQUING A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH STUDY FOR NURSING PAPER

Critiquing a Qualitative Research Study for Nursing Graduate Paper

Critiquing a Qualitative Research Study for Nursing Graduate Paper

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by conducting a critical analysis of the nursing journal “Perceptions of Being Strong in African American Women with HIV/AIDS”. The study was designed and data were collected when the principal investigator (Donna Z. Shambley-Ebron) who is a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati. Donna has also written several articles related to nursing. After completing PhD, Donna has started focusing on cases of women with HIV. In the next section, we will conduct a critical analysis of the journal article.

Discussion & Analysis

The purpose of this article is to discuss the cultural meanings and ways of being strong in African American women with HIV/AIDS who were mothers of a child who also was HIV positive. The purposive sample consisted of 10 African American women who were living with HIV/AIDS and who had 1 or more children who had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The age range of the participants was 18-45 years; mean age was 30.4 years. One of the participants was currently married, 2 had been widowed (from HIV/AIDS), and the remaining 7 women were heads of households, essentially living alone and caring for their children. The 10 participants were recruited from rural HIV public health clinics and private physicians' offices (Holliday, 2007).

This research is an ethnographic study of African American mothers living with HIV/AIDS revealed that they believed in a tradition and heritage of strength that fostered their survival during difficult life experiences such as living and mothering with HIV/AIDS

The purpose of this study is primarily practical in nature, i.e. the study allowed The study African American mothers with HIV/AIDS to tell us about their life experiences, their concerns, their tribulations, and their joys. Understanding these issues from the viewpoint of African American women will enable nurses and other healthcare providers to anticipate and understand client behavior as well as to plan care that builds upon and reaffirms strengths and already established lifestyles and values (Denzin, 2000).

The participants selected for this research were African American women with cases of HIV. The participants were African American women who were living with HIV/AIDS and who had 1 or more children who had been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. Personal income of the participants varied considerably with working status. ...