NURS 8000 Assignment 1 Locating and Critically Analyzing Primary Research Articles
Literature searches in preparation for conducting a comprehensive literature review are crucial in generating new search ideas, improving individual knowledge concerning the topic at hand, and evaluating commonly used methodologies (Xiao, & Watson, 2019). Focusing on improving my knowledge in psychology, I followed several steps in locating relevant updated pieces of literature for review. The first step was to develop a research question, followed by a mind map of the research topic. I then developed keywords, while considering appropriate databases such as PsycINFO, PEP Web, Academic Search Complete, ScienceDirect, EBSCO Cinahl, and Scopus among others. I started broad, then refined the search outcome by utilizing search operators, such as “AND” “OR” and “NOT.” Limiters such as age, gender, methodology, and timeframe helped in narrowing down to only relevant articles. I also investigated the citations to ensure that the information was valid and reliable. My literature review was based on the following research topic: “The impact of social anxiety among the adolescent population.”
Findings show that religious engagement among students declines during college, but their spirituality shows substantial growth. “Students become more caring, more tolerant, more connected with others, and more actively engaged in a spiritual quest.” (“Cultivating the Spirit – Spirituality in Higher Education”) The authors also found that spiritual growth enhances other outcomes, such as academic performance, psychological well being, leadership development, and satisfaction with college. The study also identified a number of college activities that contribute to students’ spiritual growth. Some of these–study abroad, interdisciplinary studies, and service learning–appear to be effective because they expose students to new and diverse people, cultures, and ideas. Spiritual development is also enhanced if students engage in “inner work” through activities such as meditation or self reflection, or if their professors actively encourage them to explore questions of meaning and purpose. (“Cultivating the Spirit – Spirituality in Higher (Alexander W, 2010)”). By raising public awareness of the key role that spirituality plays in student learning and development, by alerting academic administrators, faculty, and curriculum committees to the importance of spiritual development, and by identifying strategies for enhancing that development, this work encourages institutions to give greater priority to these spiritual aspects of students’ educational and professional development.
Article Reviews
The first article by Field, (2020) is a narrative review based on a literature search on PubMed and PsychINFO, to assess the impact of social anxiety on adolescents. The study utilized 53 papers, published from the year 2018 to 2020. The research also focused on the prevalence, risk factors, comorbidities, and interventions for social anxiety among adolescents. Based on the study outcome, it was discovered that the prevalence of social anxiety among adolescents ranged from 2% to 25%. The impacts of social anxiety on adolescents, as reported by the researcher include depression, poor academic performance, internet addiction, gaming, and emotion regulation problems.
For the second study, Chiu, Clark, & Leigh, (2021) carried out a systemic review and meta analysis aimed at examining peer functioning and social anxiety among adolescents. Relevant articles were drawn from PubMed, Medline, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. It was discovered that peer rejection, poor friendship quality, and peer victimization were all associated with late social anxiety.
The last study conducted by Seema, & Kumar, (2017) was aimed at determining the relationship and gender differences between social anxiety and self esteem among adolescents. A sample size of 200 adolescent students between the age of 16 to 18 years from several colleges in Bangalore city was utilized for the study. Social Phobia inventory and Rosenberg Self esteem scale were used to collect data, which was statistically analyzed through SPSS. The results indicate a negative relationship between self esteem and social anxiety among adolescents. The negative impacts of social anxiety were more pronounced among female adolescents as compared to the males.
Synthesis of the Articles
All three articles reported a negative impact of social anxiety on the social and personal lives of adolescents. While Field, (2020) and Chiu, Clark, & Leigh, (2021) utilized systemic literature review to conduct their studies, Seema, & Kumar, (2017) carried out a field study, with first hand data from 200 participants. The study by Seema, & Kumar, (2017) also examined the relationship between ge