PARENTAL GRIEF FOLLOWING PREGNANCY LOSS: AN ARTICLE CRITIQUE PART 1
This research constitutes the first part of a critique of an article by Kandl Stinson, Judith Lasker, Janet Lohmann, and Lori Toedter (1992, pp. 218 223) that dealt with parental grief following pregnancy loss. This part of the critique is concerned with (1) the title and abstract of the article, (2) ethical considerations, and (3) the article's introduction and problem statement.
The title of the report was descriptive of the research performed. The abstract of the article stated what was discovered through the conduct of the research. With respect to the research questions, however, it was necessary to infer the character of the questions from the research findings presented in the abstract. A statement of the research methodology employed in the conduct of the research was completely absent from the article abstract.
Ethical considerations related to the treatment and rights of research subjects were included in the article (Stinson, et al., 1992, p. 219). Subjects were not exposed to any physical harm through the conduct of the study. The nature of the research problem, however, necessarily meant that subjects were at risk for psychological harm. The researchers exercised care in both the sample selection process and in the collection of data to minimize any psychological discomfort for subjects. With respect to data collection, the activity was conducted in the
homes of subjects to assure that the subjects would feel more in control of and less threatened by the situation. There was, however, no indication in the article that subjects were warned of any potential for psychological distress that might result from participation in the study. No coercion or undue influence was used, however, to persuade subjects to participate in the study, and the data collection personnel were appropriately qualified
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