The trial in Africa on how to test H.I.V. drugs was a failure because of the perception of Africans. They held that the pills and gel could cause infertility and liver cancer. However, it is absurd that African women deceived scientists with empty bottles and applicators despite not having used the gel and pills. In my opinion, the use of stipends to motivate women was unethical because it raises undue influence.
The research method used in the study was qualitative. Notably, the purpose of the research was to ascertain if pre-exposure prophylaxis applied to African would help prevent infections (McNeil Jr, 2015). Scientists intended to establish why the trial had failed although the participants produced empty applicators and bottles for gel and pills. Moreover, they wanted to understand the presumptions made by women concerning the trials.
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The research strategy used was comparative. The scientists intended to compare the results in different areas; hence, they used three countries, including South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe. Furthermore, the research aimed to compare American gay men and African women. Nonetheless, the research did not use the naturalistic observation research design. Instead, it used experiments to ascertain the presence of tenofovir, the study drug, in the blood samples of patients (McNeil Jr, 2015). Nevertheless, this experiment proved that the women took neither the pills nor gel.
The study was considered a failure because 90 percent of the women returned empty applicators and bottles, proving that they had used the pills and gel. Conversely, the blood samples showed that 70 percent of the women had not used the pills and gel (McNeil Jr, 2015). Therefore, the author's perceptions were not accurate since interviews indicated that most women did not use the pills and gel, making the study failure.
Culture affected the outcome of the study because African women were not willing to take the pill and gel for the assumption that they could cause infertility, liver cancer, or have their blood used for Satanism. On the other hand, it had worked for gay American men. Therefore, cross-cultural psychology examines diversity and underlying reasons for psychological factors (Shiraev & Levy, 2017). The comparison between results in America and other African countries proves psychological diversity.
Other data collection, rather than interviews, could have assisted in attaining more accurate results. The scientists could have applied participant observation to monitor whether the participants were taking the pills and gel or not. In this case, the issue of deceit through empty bottles could be realized earlier.
References
McNeil Jr, D. (2015). A Failed Trial in Africa Raises Questions About How to Test H.I.V. Drugs. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/health/failed-trial-in-africa-raises-questions-about-how-to-test-hiv-drugs.html?smid=pl-share
Shiraev, E., & Levy, D. (2017). Cross-Cultural Psychology Critical Thinking and Contemporary Applications (6th ed.). Abingdon, United Kingdom: Routledge.
