The use of internet-mediated cross-sectional studies in mental health research
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Summary This article summarises internet-mediated approaches to conducting quantitative and qualitative cross-sectional mental health research, and describes aspects of research design to consider for optimising scientific rigour and validity as well as response. Rapid adoption of internet-mediated approaches risks compromising the quality of the methods used. Not only can it cause distress to participants, but methodological problems may lead to inappropriate inferences being made from research findings. In this article the advantages of using internet communication for research purposes are balanced against the disadvantages, using examples of recent internet-mediated research (IMR) studies to illustrate good practice.
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The sampling frame (all young adults working or studying at 164 UK higher education institutions in 2010) provided the most efficient, comprehensive and pragmatic means of recruiting a hard-to-reach population of young adults while minimising traditional biases associated with recruiting a help-seeking sample.
“We considered this sampling frame to provide the most efficient, comprehensive and pragmatic means of recruiting a hard-to-reach population of young adults (Pitman et al., 2015), while simultaneously minimising traditional biases associated with recruiting a help-seeking sample.”
From The stigma associated with bereavement by suicide and other sudden deaths: A qualitative interview study (2018) · cites this paper as Pitman et al., 2015
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Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSampling via email systems of large institutions avoided biases associated with recruiting a help-seeking sample.
“This avoided the biases associated with recruiting a help-seeking sample [27], such as a bereavement support group.”
From Support Needs and Experiences of People Bereaved by Suicide: Qualitative Findings from a Cross-Sectional British Study of Bereaved Young Adults (2018) · cites this paper as [27]
Conducting a national cross-sectional survey of young adults working or studying at UK HEIs avoided the biases associated with recruiting a help-seeking sample.
“We conducted a national cross-sectional survey of young adults working or studying at UK higher education institutions (HEIs), avoiding the biases associated with recruiting a help-seeking sample.24”
From Support received after bereavement by suicide and other sudden deaths: A cross-sectional UK study of 3432 young bereaved adults (2017) · cites this paper as [24]
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- Authors
- Pitman, A., Osborn, D. P. J., & King, M. B.
- Affiliations
- University College London (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Pitman, Alexandra
- Venue
- BJPsych Advances
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2015-05
- Volume
- 21
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 175-184
- ISSN
- 2056-4678 (ISSN-L)
- 2056-4686
- OpenAlex
- W2313641639
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2
- FWCI
- 9.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- www.cambridge.org/core/terms (unspecified, 977 d)
- Locations
- BJPsych Advances (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Medical Research Council (MR/L501487/1)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Survey Methodology and Nonresponse
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods
- Keywords
- online research, online surveys, cross-sectional study, mental health research, research design, validity, response rate, participant distress, methodological quality
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