Why should a nurse researcher consider mortality a threat to the internal validity of a study?
A) There is a concern that the intervention may have harmful effects.
B) Those who participated in the study may have died as a result of being in the study.
C) Those who dropped out of the study may be different from those who remained in the study.
D) When a study has a large number of participants who drop out of the study, the design is inappropriate for the study questions.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Correct C: Subjects who drop out or who are lost from a study may differ from remaining subjects and threaten internal validity.
Incorrect A: Mortality does not refer to harmful aspects of an intervention but to attrition of subjects.
Incorrect B: Mortality does not refer to treatment-related negative consequences.
Incorrect D: Loss of a large number of subjects does not necessarily make a design inappropriate for study questions.

Why Should a Nurse Researcher Consider Mortality a Threat to the Internal