l health. They are then randomly assigned to one of two groups. The treatment group receives the new antidepressant, a pill that must be taken twice a day. The control group receives a placebo pill containing nothing medically active, which must also be taken twice a day. After 10 weeks, researchers locate the individuals and ask them to fill out a questionnaire again assessing their mental health. At the end of the study, researchers find no statistically significant difference in the mental health of the treatment and control groups.
The NIH is funding a trial for a new antidepressant drug. A sample of 1000 people with severe depression are recruited and, at baseline, are given a questionnaire asking about their demographic characteristics
and their mental health. They are then randomly assigned to one of two groups. The treatment group receives the new antidepressant, a pill that must be taken twice a day. The control group receives a placebo pill containing nothing medically active, which must also be taken twice a day. After 10 weeks, researchers locate the individuals and ask them to fill out a questionnaire again assessing their mental health. At the end of the study, researchers find no statistically significant difference in the mental health
of the treatment and control groups.
question: Could attrition from the study explain why the researchers found the drug to be ineffective, even if the drug actually were effective? Explain as specifically as you can how attrition might cause such underestimation of the true impact of the drug
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