title: Comparing the unmatched count technique and direct self-report for sensitive health-risk behaviors in HIV+ adults.
abstract: Researchers often rely on self-report measures to assess sensitive health-risk behaviors in HIV+ individuals, yet the accuracy of self-report has been questioned, particularly when inquiring about behaviors that may be embarrassing, risky, and/or taboo. We compared an anonymous reporting method - the unmatched count technique (UCT) - to direct self-report (DSR) in order to assess reporting differences for several health-risk behaviors related to medication adherence and sexual risk. Contrary to hypotheses, the UCT only produced a significantly higher estimated base rate for one sensitive behavior: reporting medication adherence to one's physician, which may have been contextually primed by our study design. Our results suggest that anonymous reporting methods may not increase disclosure compared to DSR when assessing several health-risk behaviors in HIV+ research volunteers. However, our results also suggest that contextual factors should be considered and investigated further, as they may influence perception of sensitive behavior.
authors: a Department of Psychology , California State University , Northridge , CA , USA.|b Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences , University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Alyssa
authors: A
authors: Arentoft
authors: b Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences , University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Kathleen
authors: K
authors: Van Dyk
authors: b Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences , University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: April D
authors: AD
authors: Thames
authors: b Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences , University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Philip
authors: P
authors: Sayegh
authors: b Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences , University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Nicholas
authors: N
authors: Thaler
authors: c Department of Psychology , West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Daniel
authors: D
authors: Schonfeld
authors: d Department of Psychology , Loyola Marymount University , CA , USA.
authors: Joseph
authors: J
authors: LaBrie
authors: b Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences , University of California-Los Angeles , Los Angeles , CA , USA.|c Department of Psychology , West Los Angeles VA Healthcare Center , Los Angeles , CA , USA.
authors: Charles H
authors: CH
authors: Hinkin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence; D012309:Risk-Taking; D057566:Self Report; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: HIV; health-risk behavior; item count; list experiment; medication adherence; self-report; sexual risk behavior; unmatched count