Question

The leader of two postpartum women’s support groups is interested in the depression levels of the women in her groups. She administers the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) screening test to the members of her groups. The CES-D is a 20-question self-test that measures depressive feelings and behaviors during the previous week.

The mean depression level from the screening test for the 6 women in the first group is μ₁ = 15; the mean depression level for the 12 women in the second group is μ₂ = 12.

Answer 1

Explanation:

To compare the depression levels between the two groups statistically, you could use a hypothesis test. A common hypothesis test for comparing means is the independent two-sample t-test. Here's how you can set it up:

Null Hypothesis (H0): There is no significant difference in the mean depression levels between the two groups.

H0: μ₁ - μ₂ = 0

Alternative Hypothesis (Ha): There is a significant difference in the mean depression levels between the two groups.

Ha: μ₁ - μ₂ ≠ 0

You would then perform the t-test to determine if there's enough evidence to reject the null hypothesis. You would need additional information, such as the standard deviations or variances of the depression levels in each group and the significance level (alpha) you want to use for the test (e.g., alpha = 0.05). The t-test would provide a p-value that you can compare to alpha to make a decision about whether the difference in mean depression levels is statistically significant.

Remember that this is a simplified explanation, and in practice, you would perform the calculations using statistical software or a calculator. Additionally, you'd need to check the assumptions of the t-test, such as the assumption of normality and equal variances between groups, and consider the practical significance of the results in the context of your study.