title: Determining Survey Satisficing of Online Longitudinal Survey Data in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study: A Group-Based Trajectory Analysis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Survey satisficing occurs when participants respond to survey questions rapidly without carefully reading or comprehending them. Studies have demonstrated the occurrence of survey satisficing, which can degrade survey quality, particularly in longitudinal studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to use a group-based trajectory analysis method to identify satisficers when similar survey questions were asked periodically in a long-standing cohort, and to examine factors associated with satisficing in the surveys having sensitive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related behavioral questions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Behavioral data were collected semiannually online at all four sites of the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) from October 2008 through March 2013. Based on the start and end times, and the word counts per variable, response speed (word counts per second) for each participant visit was calculated. Two-step group-based trajectory analyses of the response speed across 9 study visits were performed to identify potential survey satisficing. Generalized linear models with repeated measures were used to investigate the factors associated with satisficing on HIV-related behavioral surveys.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the total 2138 male participants, the median baseline age was 51 years (interquartile range, 45-58); most of the participants were non-Hispanic white (62.72%, 1341/2138) and college graduates (46.59%, 996/2138), and half were HIV seropositive (50.00%, 1069/2138). A total of 543 men (25.40%, 543/2138) were considered potential satisficers with respect to their increased trajectory tendency of response speed. In the multivariate analysis, being 10 years older at the baseline visit increased the odds of satisficing by 44% (OR 1.44, 95% CI 1.27-1.62, P<.001). Compared with the non-Hispanic white participants, non-Hispanic black participants were 122% more likely to satisfice the HIV-related behavioral survey (OR 2.22, 95% CI 1.69-2.91, P<.001), and 99% more likely to do so for the other race/ethnicity group (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.39-2.83, P<.001). Participants with a high school degree or less were 67% more likely to satisfice the survey (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.26-2.21, P<.001) compared with those with a college degree. Having more than one sex partner and using more than one recreational drug reduced the odds of satisficing by 24% (OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.61-0.94, P=.013) and 28% (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.55-0.93, P=.013), respectively. No statistically significant association of HIV serostatus with satisficing was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Using a group-based trajectory analysis method, we could identify consistent satisficing on HIV-related behavioral surveys among participants in the MACS, which was associated with being older, being non-white, and having a lower education level; however, there was no significant difference by HIV serostatus. Methods to minimize satisficing using longitudinal survey data are warranted.
authors: Georgetown University Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Washington, DC, United States.
authors: Junrui
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6325-8090
authors: J
authors: Di
authors: Ying
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3466-4115
authors: Y
authors: Li
authors: M Reuel
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6191-9799
authors: MR
authors: Friedman
authors: Susheel
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4173-9376
authors: S
authors: Reddy
authors: Pamela J
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0334-5931
authors: PJ
authors: Surkan
authors: Steven
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3583-0026
authors: S
authors: Shoptaw
authors: Michael
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4554-7483
authors: M
authors: Plankey
keywords: ACASI; cohort studies; data collection; data quality; group-based trajectory analysis; reading speed; survey satisficing