Assessing trauma and traumatic stress via the Internet: Measurement equivalence and participant reactions.

Abstract

Though relatively understudied, trauma exposure and resulting posttraumatic stress symptoms are common in college students. Web-based surveys allow for private, cost-effective, and time-efficient assessment of trauma and its sequelae in this at-risk population. This study examines two issues pertinent to Internet assessment of trauma and posttraumatic stress: (a) the reliability of the Internet compared with paper-and-pencil and interview assessments and (b) the acceptability of this assessment modality to students. College students (N = 38) completed a posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) clinical interview and paper-and-pencil and online versions of trauma and PTSD questionnaires. Results showed in-person and online trauma and PTSD assessments to be significantly associated with each other and with the clinical interview. Participants reported positive reactions to the online survey. Findings suggest that the Internet can reliably and unobtrusively assess potentially sensitive topics in college students.

Demographic Characteristics, Components of Sexuality and Gender, and Minority Stress and Their Associations to Excessive Alcohol, Cannabis, and Illicit (Noncannabis) Drug Use Among a Large Sample of Transgender People in the United States

“…Therefore, our study’s generalizability is limited and results may not represent transgender people throughout the U.S. However, investigators have examined the effect of internet- versus noninternet-based survey research (e.g., in person, paper-and-pencil, phone based sampling) in the U.S. on disclosure rates with respect to sexuality (Hines, Douglas, & Mahmood, 2010; Meyerson & Tryon, 2003), trauma (Read, Farrow, Jaanimagi, & Ouimette, 2008), and substance use (Miller & Sønderlund, 2010; Parks, Pardi, & Bradizza, 2006). Findings have suggested that both internet-and noninternet-based survey research are likely to yield similar responses with respect to quality and rates of disclosure (Germine et al, 2012; Gosling, Vazire, Srivastava, & John, 2004; McMorris et al, 2009).…”

The impact of asian values and victim−perpetrator closeness on the disclosure of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse.

“…Further support for this method of data collection comes from research suggesting that Internet-based trauma surveys are highly correlated with both paper-and-pencil and interview methods, regardless of level of symptomatology (Read, Farrow, Jaanimägi, & Ouimette, 2009), and demonstrate similar psychometric properties (Fortson, Scotti, Del Ben, & Chen, 2006). Moreover, prior focus group recommendations regarding effective trauma research with a Japanese population encouraged utilizing a more anonymous method of disclosure, such as the Internet (Allard, 2009), in light of AV that may hinder disclosure.…”

Point and Click, Carefully

“…Though several studies have documented the extent to which online assessments correspond to other more traditional methods (Gosling et al, 2004; E. T. Miller et al, 2002; Read, Farrow, Jaanimagi, & Ouimette, 2009), there has been less research on participant response styles in web-based survey research and whether these may affect data quality. The present study sheds light on the extent of inconsistent responding in these types of studies and provides a practical strategy for conducting an ad hoc inconsistency analysis that can help to identify and predict inconsistent response patterns.…”