Diagnostic misclassification of depression as conduct disorder in urban African-American men

Sampling Strategy and Sample Size for a Quantitative Research Plan

[To what extent do African-American men who live in an urban setting and exhibit aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression receive a diagnosis at local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression?]

The question posed in this study is one asking 'To what extent do African-American men who live in an urban setting and exhibit aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression receive a diagnosis at local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression?' Therefore, the population being studied is identified and a sampling must be chosen which defines the unit of analysis in this study.

Population

The population that will be utilized for the sampling in this study is comprised of an urban population of African-American men who have exhibited aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression and who have received a diagnosis at a local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression.

III. Sampling

The sampling conducted in this study will involve a non-probability convenience sampling of an urban population of African-American men who have exhibited aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression and who have received a diagnosis at a local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression.

The non-probability sampling will be in the nature of a convenience sampling since it will be fairly easy to locate this population of individuals through a clinic or hospital database. This type of sampling has also been chosen for the purpose of ensuring that each African-American male who have exhibited aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression and who have received a diagnosis at a local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression will have the same chance of being chosen for the study as the other potential participants who meet the same criteria. This type of sampling will enhance the researcher's ability to study this specific population of individuals since they have already been diagnosed and are patients at an urban hospital or clinic.

IV. How Sample to Be Drawn

The non-probability convenience sampling in this study will be in the form of a volunteer sampling and will involve a flyer being distributed at a local urban hospital and clinic that invites African-American men who have exhibited aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression and who have received a diagnosis at a local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression.

VI. Summary

This study focuses on the extent to which African-American men who live in an urban setting exhibit aggressive behavior due to early development factors associated with depression and who have received a diagnosis at local medical facilities of conduct disorder as opposed to depression. The sampling method utilized in this quantitative study will be a non-probability convenience volunteer sampling in which study participants will be targeted through flyers that invite their participation in this research study.

The response rate will be motivated in this study through an incentive and specifically a gift certificate for dinner for two in a local restaurant, which will be given to participants upon completion of the study. The study will require that participants in this study review and sign an authorization and consent for use of the information gained in this study for publication in research journals or other publications reporting this study. The representation of the population chosen in this study will be dependent upon the response rate of potential participants and cannot be estimated presently.