Read the following description of a study’s conceptual framework and thoughtfully answer the questions that follow. Discuss if, and how, your responses may differ from those of two of your classmates. Provide reasoning and rationale for the differences. Reference a minimum of two resources.

There is abundant evidence that adolescents are at especially high risk of pregnancy complications and that their infants have a higher-than-average rate of low-birth-weight and neonatal death. Few studies, however, have examined the health status of children of adolescent mothers after the first few weeks of life, but findings suggest that these children continue to be at a health disadvantage throughout their childhood. The purpose of this study was to further explore the factors that might lead to greater health problems and less appropriate use of health care among children born to adolescent mothers.

The theoretical framework for this study was the Health Belief Model (HBM). This model postulates that health-seeking behavior is influenced by the perceived threat posed by a health problem and the perceived value of actions designed to reduce the threat (Becker, 1978). Within the HBM, perceived susceptibility refers to a person’s perception that a health problem is personally relevant. It is hypothesized that young mothers are developmentally less able than older mothers to perceive their own (or their infant’s) susceptibility to health risk accurately. Furthermore, adolescent mothers are hypothesized to be less likely, because of their developmental immaturity, to perceive accurately the severity of their infants’ health problems and less likely to assess accurately the benefit of appropriate interventions than older mothers. Finally, teenaged mothers are expected to evaluate less accurately the costs (which, in the HBM, include the complexity, duration, accessibility, and financial costs) of securing treatment. In summary, the HBM provides an excellent vehicle for testing the mechanisms through which children of young mothers are at higher-than-average risk of severe health problems and are less likely to receive appropriate health care.

1. Is the framework for this study based on a conceptual model of nursing?
2. Would the HBM be described as a shared theory?
3. Is the HBM a grand theory?
4. Was the HBM used as a basis for developing hypotheses in this study?
5. Is the study qualitative or quantitative?
6. In the second paragraph, second sentence, the key “outcome” of the model is specified. What is it?
7. In this study, the HBM will be tested with two groups. What are they?
8. If the researcher’s hypotheses are not supported, would this study disprove the HBM?
9. Given the problem statement, what other theory or conceptual model could be used to guide the study? Explain why this is appropriate.
10. Develop a statement of purpose for a different study using the HBM model. Explain why the model is appropriate.