Quantitative Research in Social Trauma

This chapter will try to answer on how to conduct relevant quantitative studies, using valid and reliable methodology, in order to obtain comparable and practicaly meaningful results in social trauma field. This will be done through the discussion of main study phases: (a) developement of the important research questions on social trauma (e.g., possible outcomes or correlates, possible mediators and moderators, effective treatment and protective factors etc.), (b) implementation of an appropriate study design, (c) decision on sampling strategy and control group issues, (d) application of validated measures and adequate assessment procedures, as well as dealing with their chalenges, and (e) performing proper statistic analysis of quantitative data. Examples of good research practice will be given in order to vividly illustrate these theoretical considerations.