TitleEffects of interview mode on assessments of erectile and ejaculatory dysfunction among men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2013
AuthorsCatania, JA, Oakley, LP, Rosen, R, Pollack, LM
JournalJ Sex Res
Volume50
Issue6
Pagination524-36
Date Published08/2013
ISSN1559-8519
KeywordsAge Factors, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Ejaculation, Erectile Dysfunction, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Male, Middle Aged, Prostatic Hyperplasia, Sexual Dysfunction, Physiological
Abstract
 

In a randomized experiment (N = 249; age 50 + years), this study examined if self-reports of erectile dysfunction (ED) and ejaculatory dysfunction (EjD) symptomatology were influenced by the mode of interview administration (computer-assisted self-interview [CASI], audio computer-assisted self-interview [ACASI], or computer-assisted personal interview [CAPI; involving an interviewer]). This study also examined if mode moderated person variables hypothesized to impact self-reports (social desirability, age, or depressive mood). No main or moderating effects of mode were found for self-reports of EjD symptoms. However, mode effects on reports of ED symptoms were observed, and these moderated age and social desirability effects on self-reports. Significantly more older (relative to younger) men reported high levels of ED symptoms when interview administration was by a live interviewer (CAPI) than with self-administration. Alternatively, significantly more younger men reported high levels of ED symptoms when administration was by an interviewer (CAPI) or by ACASI (vs. CASI). The Mode × Social Desirability effects were complex (see the Discussion section), showing hypothesized effects under ACASI and CAPI conditions, but an opposite effect under the CASI condition. The stability of self-reported ED symptoms did not vary by mode (based on test-retest comparisons); test-retest was significantly higher for EjD symptoms within the ACASI condition. The impact of mode of administration on self-reports of ED/EjD symptoms is less predictable and dramatic than one might conclude from prior research with other types of self-report outcomes. The findings are consistent with a small, but growing, body of studies that illustrate highly situational effects of interviewing, which may depend on a complex interplay between modes, person variables, and the interview topic/target items. Self-administered methods, in particular, may not be a universal solution to response bias.

DOI10.1080/00224499.2012.666815
Alternate JournalJ Sex Res
PubMed ID22524285