How sensitive are self-reports of offending?: the impact of recall periods on question sensitivity

Although research on sensitive topics has produced a large body of knowledge on how to improve the quality of self-reported data, little is known regarding the sensitivity of offending questions, and much less is known regarding how topic sensitivity is affected by recall periods. In this study, we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of social research methodology 2023-07, Vol.26 (4), p.497-505
Main Authors: Gomes, Hugo S., Farrington, David P., Krohn, Marvin D., Maia, Ângela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antisocial Behavior
College Students
Crime
Delinquency
Drug Abuse
Drug use
Drugs
Error of Measurement
Foreign Countries
Manipulation
measurement error
Offending
Perceptions
Police
Recall (Psychology)
recall periods
Research Methodology
Self Disclosure (Individuals)
Sensitive questions
Sexuality
social desirability
Student Attitudes
Surveys
Test Items
Time
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Summary:Although research on sensitive topics has produced a large body of knowledge on how to improve the quality of self-reported data, little is known regarding the sensitivity of offending questions, and much less is known regarding how topic sensitivity is affected by recall periods. In this study, we developed a multi-dimensional assessment of item sensitivity in order to assess and rank the sensitivity of offending and drug use items. Second, to explore the impact of recall period on respondents' perceptions of question sensitivity, we have experimentally compared questions with different time frames (i.e. lifetime, past-year, and past-month). Our results provided a ranking of sensitivity of offending and drug use questions. Furthermore, the experimental manipulation showed that questions about recent time frames were rated as more sensitive than questions covering a longer period of time. The present findings allow future methodological research on offending behavior to control for question sensitivity. Also, this study shows that recall periods impact respondents' perceptions of question sensitivity.
ISSN:1364-5579
1464-5300
DOI:10.1080/13645579.2022.2077529