The Impact of Ethnicity and Response Bias on the Self‐Report of Negative Affect¹

Abstract

Psychosocial self‐report measures are increasingly used in primary health care settings. This experiment examined the impact of response bias on self‐report of psychosocial information in 74 Blacks and 52 Whites. Participants completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies‐Depression (CES‐D), Cook‐Medley Hostility/Stress (CM), Buss‐Durkee Hostility (BD), and Marlowe‐Crowne Social Desirability (MCSDS) scales. Blacks reported greater negative affect than Whites on 2 of 15 scores, and their MCSDS scores were 30% higher. After using MCSDS scores as a covariate, Blacks showed significantly greater negative affect on 10 of 15 scores. Socioeconomic status did not explain the results. Response bias may affect self‐report of negative affect more in Blacks than Whites. Self‐report instruments may underestimate mood symptoms experienced by Blacks

Sex and age cohort differences in patterns of socioemotional functioning in older adults and their links to physical resilience

“…Greater demand or social desirability related to reports of better health (Brosschot & Janssen, 1998;Myers & Reynolds, 2000), has been linked to increasing age (Lawton, Whelihan, & Belsky, 1980;Lewinsohn et al, 1997;Strber, 2001), and is higher among women (C.J. Adams & Krasnoff, 1989;Bardwell & Dimsdale, 2001).…”

Negative Affectivity, Emotion Regulation, and Coping in Migraine and Probable Migraine: A New Zealand Case–Control Study

“…The present study examined an array of personality factors covering affective, regulatory, and coping domains for their concurrent effects on migraine incidence. Importantly, we included a measure of social desirability to address potential response biases that may occur in self-reports of personality variables, especially regarding negative affectivity and control of emotional expression as these characteristics may be viewed as unpleasant or unacceptable [35,36]. We expected that migraineurs would be characterised by greater NA, more emotion-focused coping styles, and more inhibited regulatory styles than non-migraineurs.…”

A Prospective Cohort Study of Modifiable Risk Factors for Gestational Diabetes among Hispanic Women: Design and Baseline Characteristics

“…Although the EPDS has been validated among Hispanic pregnant women, it is possible that cultural or economic factors may lead to an underreporting or overreporting of depressive symptoms. Social desirability bias may particularly affect minority 53 and lower socioeconomic 54 participants. However, a score !12 on the EPDS is widely used to indicate probable depressive disorder.…”