Assess Ethical Issues

Introduction

While a blessing, old age also comes with several health-related issues, among them depression, dementia, Alzheimers, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases. One of the issues that dispose of aging persons or aggravate their ill-health conditions is the lack of care, lack of social relations, and generally solitude and inactivity. While growing up through the adult age, most elderly persons enjoy the company of their marital partners. Still, by the elderly age, they might be windowed, divorced, and living along with their close relations busy engaged in work or school. The proposed research will seek to determine whether there is a connection between having a marital partner and healthy aging.

Research problem

From the age of 60, when one is considered an elderly person, health becomes an issue of concern. Because most people are physically inactive after having retired, their children married and moved out. The next of kin busy with work, the only guaranteed daily social relation is a marital partner. However, at this age, a good fraction of the elderly people are either divorced or widowed, which aggravates daily social relations. Lack of social association, therefore, predisposes the elderly person to such health conditions as depression. Also, the lack of daily care means that those with elderly-related health conditions and cant afford the required care are left to self-care.

Research question

In determining a connection between having a marital partner and healthy aging, the proposed study will be guided by the questions;

i. What is the health status of elderly persons living with a marital partner compared to those who are widowed or divorced?

ii. Between elderly persons living with a marital partner and those who are widowed or divorced, who report more health conditions?

iii. For elderly persons living with health conditions, who are the primary source of care?

Data collection method

A quantitative cohort study will be used with data collected through an interview conducted face-to-face using a questionnaire. Alternatively, data can be collected from a hospital database on elderly people who seek healthcare services from the facility. The third alternative is using a survey, where data is collected through a questionnaire where identified elderly persons would be required to complete and email back to the research after a specific period.

The method to be selected for data collection will depend on four factors;

i. The nature, goal, and scope of the research this is the most important factor for the method selected should be suited for the type of data required, whether primary...

Time and sample size the time available for the research will also affect the data collection method because (Kabir, 2016), for example, a face-to-face interview is time-consuming as compared to a survey, which can be completed within a significantly short time.

iii. Availability of funds the method to be selected should fall with the budgetary limits of the study

iv. Precision/statistical significance for research that requires clear and highly data-driven research results, then the data collection method should be able to provide data that is clear, credible, and valid.

Target population

The proposed studys target population is older adults aged 60 years and above,...

…or coercion (Grady, n.d.). Compensation is a possible form of undue influence, especially for poverty-stricken neighborhoods or when the offer is too good to refuse, thus, an ethical concern.

Measures for confidentiality and mitigation of coercion

All identifying details for the research participants, e.g., names, addresses, or any other details, will be removed from the interview documents. Contact list and other recruitment documents will be destroyed once no longer needed. All files will be encrypted and password-protected. The data collected for the research will be stored in locked rooms and cabinets. All staff involved in the research will be trained in the IRB-approved methods for data management and storage (Kaiser, 2009).

The first strategy to mitigate against possible coercion is to avoid the use of compensation in the research. Compensation is a grey issue in research, and doing away with it serves to mitigate possible coercion (Klitzman, 2013). Second, the participants will be made aware of the freedom to drop from the research should they feel uncomfortable. Lastly, the research methodology and the interview questions will be submitted for IRB review to ensure compliance.

Alternative data collection method

The other possible data collection method that would be appropriate for the proposed study is an online survey. The technique will involve emailing the questionnaires to elderly persons identified from local administrative offices; they will fill it and send it back. This method presents fewer ethical issues as there is no contact with the participant. However, it will be noted that, even though this method will be able to answer the research questions, it is…