Trend Article Analysis

Trend Article Analysis The following essay will touch on the journal article titled Publication trends in behavioral gerontology in the past 25 years: are the elderly still an understudied population in behavioral research?, in which the researchers will attempt to answer the question of gerontology and whether it is an understudied and underreported research topic within the field of behavioral research. The goal of the essay is to determine the research article methodology, procedures and methods, what type of data was analyzed and the ultimate results of the study concluding the authors’ intent to prove that gerontology is a fledgling topic that should be much more prominent in the field of psychology. To support the research article another study will be presented to show that caregivers and elderly patients seek information and knowledge as often as possible to understand and prepare for future needs. With few publications in print regarding the aging and the disabilities that develop as a result of age, this often leads to frustration and confusion, as noted through the second article Development and evaluation of a combined story and fact-based educational booklet for patients with multiple brain metastases and their caregiver.
Research Question and Methodology The journal article written by Buchanan, J., Husfeldt, J., Berg, T., and Houlihan, D., (2008) is a research study conducted on publication trends in gerontology to find out whether the aging are an understudied population in behavioral research. Aging is a natural effect that all races experience without discrimination, however there is question that the subject itself is not studied or reported on often enough. The United States is currently experiencing a tremendous demographic shift known as the ‘‘Graying of America.’’ According to the United States Census Bureau (2000) there are approximately 35 million Americans (12% of the population) age 65 and older. However, by

References: Buchanan, J., Husfeldt, J., Berg, T., & Houlihan, D. (2008). Publication trends in behavioral gerontology in the past 25 years: are the elderly still an understudied population in behavioral research? Behavioral Interventions , 23 (1), 65-74. Kitamura, C., Ng, D., Chung, A., Bezjak, A., Garraway, C., Mclean, M., et al. (2011). Development and evaluation of a combined story and fact-based educational booklet for patients with multiple brain metastases and their caregivers. Palliative Medicine , 25 (6), 642-649.