Interview versus Self-Answer Methods of Assessing Health and Emotional Functioning in Primary Care Patients

• Published in: Psychological reports Vol. 92; no. 3; pp. 937 - 948
• Main Authors: Amodei, Nancy, Katerndahl, David A., Larme, Anne C., Palmer, Raymond
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.06.2003
• Subjects: Activities of Daily Living - classification; Activities of Daily Living - psychology; Adult; Affective Symptoms - diagnosis; Affective Symptoms - psychology; Aged; Community Health Centers; Data Collection - statistics & numerical data; Female; Health Status; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Humans; Interview, Psychological; Male; Middle Aged; Personality Assessment - statistics & numerical data; Primary Health Care; Quality of Life - psychology; Reproducibility of Results; Sex Factors; Texas; Texas
• ISSN: 0033-2941; 1558-691X
• DOI: 10.2466/pr0.2003.92.3.937

The present study examined differences in health and emotional functioning when two different methods of gathering self-report data were used. Of 80 primary care patients who did not meet screening criteria for a psychiatric diagnosis, 44 were randomly assigned to have an interviewer read assessment items and record the participants' responses, and 36 were randomly assigned to have an interviewer read the items and have participants record their own responses directly on the test forms. There were negligible significant differences between the groups in reported symptomatology. From a practical standpoint, this suggests that the self-answer method is a more economical and efficient method of data collection since the data from more than one participant can be gathered at the same time. The findings also suggest that the measures in this study which were originally intended to be completed in a paper-and-pencil format can be used in a more traditional interviewer-administered format.