TY - JOUR
T1 - Mode effects in the center for epidemiologic studies depression (CES-D) scale
T2 - Personal digital assistant vs. paper and pencil administration
AU - Swartz, Richard J.
AU - De Moor, Carl
AU - Cook, Karon F.
AU - Fouladi, Rachel T.
AU - Basen-Engquist, Karen
AU - Eng, Cathy
AU - Carmack Taylor, Cindy L.
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgments This research was supported in part by a cancer prevention fellowship supported by National Cancer Institute grant R25 CA57730, Robert M. Chamberlain, PhD, Principal Investigator. Data collection was funded in part through a core facility funded by NCI #CA16672. The authors thank Laura Sherman, MD, for her expertise in psychiatry and depression Veronica Avolevan, Denise Rahming, and Stacie Scruggs for helping collect the data; Carol Rosenblum for coordinating the data collection; Ahmed Khalil for programming the PDA survey administration software; the clinical staff in the Genitourinary Medical Oncology, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Psychiatry clinics at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for their cooperation and support; and Sandra L. Young, Margaret Newell, Nancy Nabilsi, and reviewers for editorial comments and critiques. The authors are also grateful to the patients and their caregivers who participated in this study.
PY - 2007/6
Y1 - 2007/6
N2 - As interest grows in creating computerized versions of established paper-and-pencil (P&P) questionnaires, it becomes increasingly important to explore whether changing the administration modes of questionnaires affects participants' responses. This study investigated whether mode effects exist when administering the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale by a personal digital assistant (PDA) versus the classic P&P mode. The Differential Functioning of Items and Tests (DFIT) procedure identified mode effects on the overall test and individual items. A mixed-effects regression model summarized the mode effects in terms of CES-D scores, and identified interactions with covariates. When the P&P questionnaire was administered first, scores were higher on average (2.4-2.8 points) than those of the other administrations (PDA second, PDA first, and P&P second), and all 20 questionnaire items exhibited a statistically significant mode effect. Highly educated people and younger people demonstrated a smaller difference in scores between the two modes. The mode-by-order effect influenced the interpretation of CES-D scores, especially when screening for depression using the established cut-off scores. These results underscore the importance of evaluating the cross-mode equivalence of psychosocial instruments before administering them in non-established modes.
AB - As interest grows in creating computerized versions of established paper-and-pencil (P&P) questionnaires, it becomes increasingly important to explore whether changing the administration modes of questionnaires affects participants' responses. This study investigated whether mode effects exist when administering the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) scale by a personal digital assistant (PDA) versus the classic P&P mode. The Differential Functioning of Items and Tests (DFIT) procedure identified mode effects on the overall test and individual items. A mixed-effects regression model summarized the mode effects in terms of CES-D scores, and identified interactions with covariates. When the P&P questionnaire was administered first, scores were higher on average (2.4-2.8 points) than those of the other administrations (PDA second, PDA first, and P&P second), and all 20 questionnaire items exhibited a statistically significant mode effect. Highly educated people and younger people demonstrated a smaller difference in scores between the two modes. The mode-by-order effect influenced the interpretation of CES-D scores, especially when screening for depression using the established cut-off scores. These results underscore the importance of evaluating the cross-mode equivalence of psychosocial instruments before administering them in non-established modes.
KW - Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale
KW - Crossover design
KW - Differential item functioning (DIF)
KW - Item response theory (IRT)
KW - Mode effects
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34247517733&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=34247517733&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11136-006-9158-0
DO - 10.1007/s11136-006-9158-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 17295102
AN - SCOPUS:34247517733
SN - 0962-9343
VL - 16
SP - 803
EP - 813
JO - Quality of Life Research
JF - Quality of Life Research
IS - 5
ER -