In a research study, if a social worker promotes the use of a hobby to decrease stress levels, what is the dependent variable?

The dependent variable in a research study is the outcome that is measured to assess the effect of an intervention or treatment. In this case, the social worker is promoting the use of a hobby with the intention of decreasing stress levels. Therefore, the stress levels represent the variable that is being impacted by the independent variable, which is the hobby itself.

When the social worker implements the intervention (the hobby), they are looking to see how it influences or changes the stress levels experienced by individuals. This relationship highlights the purpose of the study: to determine if engaging in a hobby can effectively reduce stress. Consequently, stress levels are the primary focus of measurement and the variable that researchers will analyze to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the intervention.

The other choices do not represent the dependent variable since they pertain to aspects of the study other than the outcome being measured. The hobby itself is the intervention, time spent on the hobby may be a related factor but does not measure stress directly, and the quality of the intervention relates to how the hobby is presented rather than measuring the outcome of stress levels.