International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol 26, 844-854, Copyright © 1997 by International Epidemiological Association
MP Dunne, NG Martin, JM Bailey, AC Heath, KK Bucholz, PA Madden and DJ Statham
BACKGROUND: Few studies of sexual attitudes and behaviour have quantified
the direction and magnitude of participation bias, primarily because
information on non-responders is difficult to obtain in cross- sectional
surveys. METHOD: Australian adult twins (n = 9112) aged 17-52 years
enrolled in a national, longitudinal research register were asked to
participate in a postal survey concerning their sexual behaviour and
attitudes. Individual consent was determined by separate return of a
consent form; 27% explicitly refused, 19% initially agreed to receive a
questionnaire, but subsequently did not return consent forms and 52%
explicitly consented. Participation data were matched to social,
psychological and behavioural information in a longitudinal data set.
RESULTS: People who explicitly consented had higher levels of education,
attended church less often, had less conservative sexual attitudes and
voting preferences, were more likely to smoke cigarettes and drank alcohol
more often than people who explicitly refused. On standard personality
scales, responders were more novelty-seeking and reward-dependent and less
harm-avoidant than refusers. Structured psychiatric telephone interview
data from 3674 individuals showed that, compared to refusers, responders
had higher lifetime prevalence of major depression, alcohol dependence and
childhood conduct disorder and also reported an earlier age at first sexual
intercourse and higher rates of sexual abuse. In general, those who had
initially agreed to receive the sex questionnaire but were subsequently
lost were more similar to consenters than to refusers. CONCLUSIONS: Effect
sizes on most measures were small. The broad profile suggests that postal
surveys of sexual attitudes and behaviour may overestimate sexual
liberalism, activity and adversity, although this bias should not seriously
compromise population estimates.
ARTICLES
Participation bias in a sexuality survey: psychological and behavioural characteristics of responders and non-responders
School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
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