Correct option is C
In longitudinal studies,
mortality refers to the loss of participants over time, typically because they choose to stop participating, move away, or become unreachable for other reasons. This drop-out of participants can impact the validity of the study by potentially biasing the results, especially if the drop-out is not random but related to specific characteristics of the participants.
Information Booster: 1.
Longitudinal studies are research designs that involve repeated observations of the same variables over long periods.
2.
Mortality can introduce bias if the drop-outs differ significantly from those who remain in the study.
3. The
attrition rate is the proportion of participants who leave the study prematurely.
4. Researchers can use
techniques like imputation to handle missing data, but these methods have limitations.
5.
Differential mortality occurs when drop-outs are systematically different from the participants who stay in the study.
6. Addressing mortality is essential for maintaining the
integrity and reliability of longitudinal research results.