The Action Research Podcast · University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work

Unpacking A Dissertation With Secondary Data

·26 min·2 clips

Caitlin discovered most preventive intervention studies used primarily white samples, sparking her focus on diversity.

This episode features Dr. Caitlin Metelka, a recent PhD graduate in social work, discussing her dissertation research on adolescent mental health. The host from the University of Houston's HearLab engages Dr. Metelka in a detailed conversation about her study's methodology and findings. Dr. Metelka's research focuses on positive youth development within diverse school settings. Her dissertation investigated the reciprocal relationships between coping styles and symptoms of depression and anxiety in middle school students. She conducted a secondary data analysis using a dataset from a randomized control trial at UTMB Health's Center for Violence Prevention. The sample included over 1,200 students from control schools, chosen for its racial and ethnic diversity. Dr. Metelka specifically examined how coping in seventh grade related to symptoms in eighth grade, and vice versa. She was motivated by her prior work as a school social worker and a personal belief that explicit coping instruction could benefit young people. A key aim was to address a literature gap, as much prior research on preventive interventions used primarily white samples. One finding showed that higher use of active coping skills like planning in seventh grade correlated with lower depressive symptoms in eighth grade. Conversely, more depressive symptoms in seventh grade predicted less use of active coping in eighth grade. A similar two-way relationship existed between avoidant coping and anxiety symptoms. Dr. Metelka noted that many of these relationships were affected by gender, with differing patterns for male and female students. She emphasized that "one size does not fit all" regarding coping interventions. An interesting logistical challenge was that her final sample size and school distribution required her to alter some planned statistical analyses. She advises future doctoral candidates that dissertations do not need to be perfect and recommends keeping detailed work logs for consistency. For her defense, she prepared by extensively practicing her presentation and anticipating committee questions. Dr. Metelka is now working on disseminating her results through one-page summaries, policy briefs, and presentations to the involved school communities. She advocates for explicitly teaching socio-emotional skills in schools and pushing for related policy and funding changes. The tone is conversational, educational, and supportive, reflecting a mentor-mentee dynamic. The style is interview-based, with the host prompting detailed reflections on the research process. This episode would greatly benefit current or prospective doctoral students, especially in social work or education, interested in secondary data analysis or school-based mental health research. Listeners seeking broad theoretical debates or highly produced narrative storytelling might find it too niche and process-oriented.

As heard by us

A practical dissertation conversation about process, flexibility, and research that reaches beyond articles.

This dissertation-centered conversation stays grounded in the work itself rather than drifting into ceremony. Dr. Caitlin Maitelka walks through a secondary data dissertation with steady attention to progress, protected time, and the way plans shift when a sample or analysis…

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Why you'd press play

You want a dissertation talk that gives you process, not polished mythology.

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