Interviewer gender and self-reported sexual behavior and mental health among male military personnel

Chun, Helen M.; Tavarez, Maria Isabel; Dann, Grace E.; Anastario, Michael

doi:10.1007/s00038-010-0185-9

Cited by 15 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(12 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Alcohol has become part of military cultures around the world and may be provided at a reduced cost on bases, as a reward for positive outcomes, and as an incentive for obtaining a goal [1,5,6,9]. A solid link has been established between increased rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and alcohol intake [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HIV/STI Prevalence Study Among Military Conscripts in Estonia

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Risk taking behavior and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) research outcomes vary among militaries. A common theme indicates STI prevalence and risk taking among military personnel is higher than the general population. Alcohol and drug misuse is well documented. From these behaviors, high-risk sexual encounters increase. Exploring STI prevalence, knowledge, and risk behaviors among conscripted military forces, we recruited 584 conscripts from a defense force in Eastern Europe. The observed STI prevalence in the young, male conscripts was equal or less than their non-conscripted counterparts. Military entry screenings could reduce STIs, creating a healthier population. However, these findings remain informative as the notion of high STI rates among military forces is not supported. As this study was one of the first of its type in the region, it demonstrates the ability of a nation to secure their defense forces against HIV/STIs even in the face of increased prevalence within that nation.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

HIV/STI Prevalence Study Among Military Conscripts in Estonia

2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Interviewer gender is frequently considered, particularly for sexual behaviour questions, with a wide range of response patterns seen. These include an increased willingness for men to report sexual behaviours to women [14], for everyone to report sexual behaviours to same-sex interviewers [16] and for male military personnel in the Dominican Republic to report more sexual activity, but less alcohol use and sexual coercion, to female interviewers [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The influence of interviewers on survey responses among female sex workers in Zambia

Harling

Chanda²,

Ortblad

et al. 2019

BMC Med Res Methodol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundInterviewers can substantially affect self-reported data. This may be due to random variation in interviewers’ ability to put respondents at ease or in how they frame questions. It may also be due to systematic differences such as social distance between interviewer and respondent (e.g., by age, gender, ethnicity) or different perceptions of what interviewers consider socially desirable responses. Exploration of such variation is limited, especially in stigmatized populations.MethodsWe analyzed data from a randomized controlled trial of HIV self-testing amongst 965 female sex workers (FSWs) in Zambian towns. In the trial, 16 interviewers were randomly assigned to respondents. We used hierarchical regression models to examine how interviewers may both affect responses on more and less sensitive topics, and confound associations between key risk factors and HIV self-test use.ResultsModel variance (ICC) at the interviewer level was over 15% for most topics. ICC was lower for socio-demographic and cognitively simple questions, and highest for sexual behaviour, substance use, violence and psychosocial wellbeing questions. Respondents reported significantly lower socioeconomic status and more sex-work related violence to female interviewers. Not accounting for interviewer identity in regressions predicting HIV self-test behaviour led to coefficients moving from non-significant to significant.ConclusionsWe found substantial interviewer-level effects for prevalence and associational outcomes among Zambian FSWs, particularly for sensitive questions. Our findings highlight the importance of careful training and response monitoring to minimize inter-interviewer variation, of considering social distance when selecting interviewers and of evaluating whether interviewers are driving key findings in self-reported data.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov NCT02827240. Registered 11 July 2016.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12874-019-0703-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

show abstract

“…The issue of gender concordance between participants and interviewers/researchers has been discussed in the literature (Chun, Tavarez, Dann, & Anastario, 2010; Fenton, Johnson, McManus, & Erens, 2001). More specifically, gender issues have been noted in research on HIV prevention with Latinos.…”

Section: Gender Of Recruiters and Interviewersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lessons From the Viagra Study: Methodological Challenges in Recruitment of Older and Minority Heterosexual Men for Research on Sexual Practices and Risk Behaviors

Jones¹,

Patsdaughter²,

Msn³

2011

Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Although all sexually active persons may be at potential risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), there is a common misperception that older heterosexual adults are not at risk (Smith & Christakis, 2009). HIV is a continuing concern in persons ages 50 and older (Goodroad, 2003; Savasta, 2004). Therefore, research with this population is warranted. However, little literature addresses the recruitment of middle aged and older heterosexual men, particularly minority men, into research studies on sexual behaviors and practices. The purpose of this article is to discuss challenges that arose during the recruitment and data collection stages of a study on health and sexual practices of older heterosexual men using prescribed erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs, and the strategies that were used to meet these challenges. Lessons learned from this study will be discussed, as well as implications for HIV/STD researchers and clinicians.

show abstract

Interviewer gender and self-reported sexual behavior and mental health among male military personnel

Abstract: Interviewer gender influenced the prevalence of sexual behaviors and mental health, which carries implications for future research in military personnel.

Cited by 15 publications

References 13 publications

HIV/STI Prevalence Study Among Military Conscripts in Estonia

HIV/STI Prevalence Study Among Military Conscripts in Estonia

The influence of interviewers on survey responses among female sex workers in Zambia

Lessons From the Viagra Study: Methodological Challenges in Recruitment of Older and Minority Heterosexual Men for Research on Sexual Practices and Risk Behaviors

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About