Does my proposed research methods paper make sense?

My primary research question is: Does introducing transcendental meditation positively affect veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder? The three previous studies explored meditation and its effects on post-traumatic stress disorder participants. Different types of meditation were introduced in each study, and in my research, I will explore the transcendental meditation that Veterans Affairs uses. I will use a one-sample t-test to prove the causality as my statistical test and demonstrate that the experiment conducted has substantial causation.

Methods

Participants:

The participants recruited for this study will consist of a small group of inpatient military veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and are seeking treatment at the local veteran's hospital. The participants will either be recommended by their licensed medical provider or volunteer for the study. The total number of participants will be divided in half for the study and be randomly selected by a random sequence generator. Both the controlled group and the study group will be evaluated for four weeks while they are seeking inpatient treatment. Follow-up self-reporting will be required for an additional five months on an outpatient basis. The participants can be on psychotropic medication for post-traumatic stress disorder but will need to be evaluated weekly by their licensed medical provider for any changes in their mood. There will be two exclusions from the study 1) if the participant is deemed at high risk of suicide or homicide and 2) deemed with a severe mental health condition co-in siding with their diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. The reason for the two exclusions is for the safety of themselves and others.

Materials:

This study aims to determine if daily meditation decreases the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in military veterans by self-reporting. The potential participants will first need to sign and provide informed consent and a simple demographic questionnaire. The simple demographic questionnaire will include their age, sex, and ethnicity. Once accepted to the study, they will need to then complete the BASIS-24 (Basis and Symptom Identification Scale) and the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) 20-item self-report measure. The participants will learn about and how to practice transcendental meditation through a ninety-minute group less five days a week as well as a thirty-minute personalized lesson once a week.

Measures:

The study will be a simple experiment, and the relationship between transcendental meditation is the independent variable. The participants in the study will be learning about and practicing transcendental meditation. The participants will self-report their information, which will be assumed to be reliable. The dependent variable is the change in the participants' post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms.

The study will measure the change of symptoms for the participants with post-traumatic stress disorder, if their symptoms increased, stabilized, or decreased at the one-month, three-month, and six-month mark. This will be done by the participants completing the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5) 20-item self-report measure once a month for the six-month period.