Before we get into this, lets remind ourselves of what is meant by crosssectional studies. For example, if you investigated changes in social behavior in 20, 30, and 40yearolds all measured at one point in time, you would be conducting a crosssectional research study. Our aim was to investigate the relationship between multimorbidity. Describe what is meant by a cross sectional study 3 a cross sectional study takes one moment in time and compares one group of participants with another group of participant at that time. Introduction to human development boundless psychology. Crosssectional surveys can be conducted using any mode of data collection, including telephone interviews, facetoface interviews, mailed questionnaires. Crosssectional study how is crosssectional study abbreviated. The goal of collecting this data is to examine the relationship of a specific target point, such as a disease, and other variables of interest within the population group. Hypertension is the most prevalent cardiovascular longterm condition in the uk and is associated with a high rate of multimorbidity mm. Research methods and analysis doctors for afghanistan.
Crosssectional design definition of crosssectional design. Although many of those terms are indeed used interchangeably, they are not all synonymous. Here, i describe cross sectional studies, their uses, advantages. Crosssectional study design is a type of observational study design. A cross sectional study is a research method where data are collected at the same time from people in different age categories. A cross sectional study, on the other hand, takes a snapshot of a population at a certain time, allowing conclusions about phenomena across a wide population to be drawn. This is primarily because, unlike a crosssectional study, in which different individuals with same characteristics are compared, a longitudinal study would track the same people, thus the differences observed in the group will be less likely to be the result of a cultural difference across generations. Mar 24, 2006 in this series, i previously gave an overview of the main types of study design and the techniques used to minimise biased results. For instance, in sociology a crosssectional study will study a group of people who have factors in common age, gender. The broad meaning of crosssectional designdata collected at one time periodcan. The crosssectional cohort study an underutilized design james l hudson, f harrison g.
Crosssectional study definition psychology glossary. A crosssectional study is one type of study in which people of different ages are examined at the same times. Pdf crosssectional study design is a type of observational study design. Crosssectional research psychology definition iresearchnet. The definition and use of a crosssectional study verywell mind. Crosssectional study captures a population in a single point in time and can help to remove assumptions. Maryam hemed gfmer tanzania training course in sexual and.
This work is licensed under a creative commons attribution. Previous studies have yielded conflicting findings about the relationship between mm and blood pressure bp control. This generally requires fewer resources than the longitudinal method, and because the individuals come from different cohorts, shared historical events are not as unique. Pdf in this series, i previously gave an overview of the main types of study. Crosssectional studies can contain individuallevel data one record per individual, for example, in national health surveys. In particular, when the data collection strategy is broader in scope involves considerably more than one case or a small group and involves systematic data collection we use the term cross sectional instead of case study to.
The crosssectional study definition in psychology is research that involves different groups of people who do not share the same variable of interest like the variable youre focusing on, but who do share other relevant variables. Crosssectional study definition of crosssectional study. The first limitation is that the study design is crosssectional in nature. For example, the british social attitudes survey is a repeat crosssectional study that has been carried out nearly every year since 1983. Here, i describe crosssectional studies, their uses, advantages and limitations. Cross sectional design is based on observations made at one point in time. To this end, a cross sectional study can suggest the odds of an effect occurring both in terms of the absolute risk the odds of something happening over a period of time and the relative risk the odds of something happening in one group compared to another. Crosssectional and longitudinal studies psychologyrocks. These include designs for single groups and caseseries, comparative studies for. To understand the profile of suicide completers and find out ways of dealing with it. In the closing pages of his classic monograph on a survey of objective studies of psychoanalytic concepts, written more than 30 years ago, robert r. A cross sequential design is a method used in research that combines a longitudinal design as well as a cross sectional design.
Crosssectional research the longitudinal method examines one group of people repeatedly over time, whereas the crosssectional method examines several groups of people at one point in time. In this series, i previously gave an overview of the main types of study design and the techniques used to minimise biased results. Multimorbidity increases with age, ethnicity and social deprivation. Crosssectional vs longitudinal research decision point online. Learn more about crosssectional research in this lesson and test your. This means there is no experimental procedure, so no variables are manipulated by the. Psychology longitudinal research vs cross sectional. For example we survey a population and for each study participant, we. The study constructs parents educational level, player bmi, and selfreported health were operationalized into questionnaire items. Thus, this study assessed sleep quality and its demographic and psychological correlates among university students. How different are insights based on cross sectional snapshot studies from those of longitudinal over time investigations. The quiz and associated worksheet will help solidify your understanding of crosssectional study.
Observational studies casecontrol study casecontrol studies are common study designs used in oral health research. These include designs for single groups and caseseries, comparative studies for independent groups and paired twogroup designs. Psychological autopsy is the reconstruction of events leading to death. Cross sectional surveys can be conducted using any mode of data collection, including telephone interviews, facetoface interviews, mailed questionnaires. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Crosssectional studies crosssectional studies measure simultaneously the exposure and health outcome in a given population and in a given geographical area at a certain time. For example, researchers studying developmental psychology might select groups of people who are different ages but investigate them at one point in time. A crosssectional study is a research method where data are collected at the same time from people in different age categories. In crosssectional studies, people are selected for the study based on the fact that they are representative of some group of people.
Sears 1943 sought an answer to the critical question of what direction future research should take to structure a science of personality a task freud had set for psychoanalysis, but with empirical roots that sears had found wanting. The cross sectional cohort study an underutilized design james l hudson, f harrison g. Cross sectional study definition of cross sectional study. They are perfect for doing research on developmental trends. A longitudinal study is often used in psychology in studying developmental trends across life spans and in sociology in studying life events throughout generations or lifetimes. The quiz cover key concepts related to cross sectional study. Types of crosssectional study descriptive a crosssectional study may be purely descriptive and used to assess the frequency and distribution of a particular disease in a defined population. Epidemiologists frequently study the experience of a population over time to estimate the association between exposure and outcome. We examined the relation between beer intake and waisthip ratio whr and body mass index bmi in a beerdrinking population. What can repeated crosssectional studies tell us about. The quiz cover key concepts related to crosssectional study. Crosssectional studies, prevalence surveys, and incidence studies include more participants than those. Cross sectional study how is cross sectional study abbreviated.
Often described as a snapshot of a population in a certain point in time. However, sleep quality among university students has not been studied in ethiopia. In cross sectional studies, people are selected for the study based on the fact that they are representative of some group of people. This is reflected, for example, by the expression beer belly. For example a random sample of schools across london may be used to assess the burden or prevalence of asthma among 1214 year olds.
Research question what is the prevalence of hiv in patients presenting with. These studies generally use casecontrol, prospective. These studies differ from solely descriptive crosssectional. A study that examines the relationship between diseases or other healthrelated characteristics and other variables of interest as they exist in a defined population at a single point in time. Think of a cross sectional study as a snapshot of a particular group of people at a given point in time. Research methods in psychology psychology articles may 10, 2006 longitudinal approach to the study of development implies repeated observations of phenomena during some time with the object of revealing constant aspects and changes, and also with the object of their explanation. A cross sectional study is one type of study in which people of different ages are examined at the same times. Crosssequential design definition psychology glossary. Crosssectional studies are often used in developmental psychology, but this method is also utilized in many other areas including social science and education. The longitudinal method examines one group of people repeatedly over time, whereas the crosssectional method examines several groups of people at one point in time. For all three of these types of crosssectional studies, it is important to define who or what is at risk. These could include age range, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and so on.
Types of cross sectional study descriptive a cross sectional study may be purely descriptive and used to assess the frequency and distribution of a particular disease in a defined population. Prevalence and predictors of psychological distress in congenital heart disease patients. Crosssectional design refers to studies in which data are collected at one time period only. They are not selected based on their exposure or outcome, although we may choose to study a group of people at high risk. For example, the british social attitudes survey is a repeat cross sectional study that has been carried out nearly every year since 1983. However, the few studies on the association between consumption of beer and abdominal obesity produced inconsistent results. Unlike longitudinal studies that look at a group of people over an extended period, cross sectional studies are used to describe what is happening at the present moment. Crosssectional study a crosssectional study is one type of study in which people of different ages are examined at the same time s.
This is usually done with cohorts, so that researchers can examine how people of different ages perform, behave, or respond to a particular function. Cross sectional research is used to examine one variable in different groups that are similar in all other characteristics. In a cross sectional study, a researcher observes differences between individuals of different ages at the same time. How different are insights based on crosssectional snapshot studies from those of longitudinal over time investigations. Crosssectional a crosssectional design often in the form of a surveyliterally, overview means that information is gathered on a sample often fairly large at one point in time. Educational, and psychological research on individuals with autism. Psychological autopsy of suicidea crosssectional study. The longitudinal study uses time as the main variable, and tries to make an in depth study of how a small sample changes and fluctuates over time. Crosssectional studies are relatively inexpensive and quick to conduct researchers can test many people of different ages at the same time, and they are the best way to study age differences not age changes. Cross sectional studies university of south florida. For instance, in sociology a cross sectional study will study a group of people who have factors in common age, gender. This dual study is used to correct flaws that might be found in either of these designs alone.
Learning hub longitudinal vs crosssectional studies. Crosssectional study a crosssectional study is an observational study in which exposure and disease are determined at the same point in time in a given population the temporal relationship between exposure and disease cannot be determined. A cross sectional study design was used to investigate the extent of chronic fatigue and the associated psychosocial exposures in a. Some crosssectional studies take place regularly, each time including a large number of repeat questions. This module will use the term crosssectional study to refer to this particular research design and the term questionnaire to refer to the data collection form that is used to ask questions of research participants. Examples of crosssectional surveys include the american community survey, the decennial census long form, and many political and opinion. Learn more about cross sectional research in this lesson and test your. This is primarily because, unlike a cross sectional study, in which different individuals with same characteristics are compared, a longitudinal study would track the same people, thus the differences observed in the group will be less likely to be the result of a cultural difference across generations. In a crosssectional study, a researcher observes differences between individuals of different ages at the same time. On the other hand, a crosssectional study cannot provide a very rich picture of development. Multistage sampling procedures were used to enroll 2,817 students into the.
Cross sectional studies are relatively inexpensive and quick to conduct researchers can test many people of different ages at the same time, and they are the best way to study age differences not age changes. This is primarily because, unlike a crosssectional study. For example, we might be interested in the following questions. Features of longitudinal vs cross sectional studies. View cross sectional study research papers on academia. Crosssectional research is used to examine one variable in different groups that are similar in all other characteristics. Crosssectional design synonyms, crosssectional design pronunciation, crosssectional design translation, english dictionary definition of crosssectional design. In this lesson, you will learn about the features of this tool, consider advantages and. Features of longitudinal vs crosssectional studies. This analysis addressed this question using a detailed case study from the montane ash eucalypt forests of the central highlands of victoria. Crosssectional study an overview sciencedirect topics. Crosssectional studies kate ann levin dental health services research unit, university of dundee, dundee, scotland, uk in this series, i previously gave an overview of the main types of study design and the techniques used to minimise biased results. The quiz and associated worksheet will help solidify your understanding of cross sectional study. Crosssectional survey design sage research methods.
Crosssectional studies measure simultaneously the exposure and health outcome in a. A crosssequential design is a method used in research that combines a longitudinal design as well as a crosssectional design. Research that collects data simultaneously from people of different ages, in contrast to a longitudinal study, which follows one group of subjects over a period of time. Crosssectional studies are often used in developmental psychology, but this method is also utilized in many other areas including social. Cons cross sectional studies may lead to erroneous conclusions as to a temporal sequence of cause and effect. Sleep quality and its psychological correlates among. Some cross sectional studies take place regularly, each time including a large number of repeat questions. Crosssectional research studies are based on observations that take place in different groups at one time.
Essentially, the investigator selects a group of persons with a disease of interest cases, and then selects a group of persons who do not have the. Within the context of a cross sectional study, information is collected on the entire study population at a single point of time. Crosssectional studies are conducted at a specific point in time and provide no indication of the sequence of events. Sep 22, 20 3 cross sectional study design cross sectional surveys can thus be contrasted with panel surveys, for which the individual respondents are followed over time. Cons crosssectional studies may lead to erroneous conclusions as to a temporal sequence of cause and effect.
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