Quantitative research deals with numbers and statistics, while qualitative research deals with words and meanings; both methods are important for gaining knowledge in research and require the collection of data. Quantitative methods allow you to test a hypothesis by collecting and analyzing data such as that used in graphs, and are used to confirm theories, while qualitative methods allow you to explore ideas and experiences in depth on topics that are not well understood (Gray, Grove, & Sutherland, 2017).
Depression in adolescents is a major risk factor for suicide, the second-to-third leading cause of death in this age group, with more than half of the suicide victims reported to have a depressive disorder at time of death (Thapar, Collishaw, Pine, & Thapar, 2012). Conducting a research study on children with depression, methods of treatment, and outcomes would lend itself to both quantitative and qualitative designs. Descriptions of mood such as depression and anxiety are variables that are complex and not directly observable and are considered qualitative; meanwhile the data on children only taking antidepressants and those only going to counseling, and suicide rates can be measured making it quantitative.
