Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-l7hp2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-23T16:06:28.591Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Social desirability does not confound reports of wellbeing or of socio-demographic attributes by older women

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2010

SHARRON E. DAWES ,
BARTON W. PALMER ,
MATTHEW A. ALLISON ,
THEODORE G. GANIATS  and
DILIP V. JESTE
SHARRON E. DAWES
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
BARTON W. PALMER*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA. San Diego Veterans Medical Research Foundation, San Diego, California, USA.
MATTHEW A. ALLISON
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
THEODORE G. GANIATS
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
DILIP V. JESTE
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA.
*
Address for correspondence: Barton W. Palmer, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive #0603v, La Jolla, CA 92093-0603, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study assesses the relationship of social desirability response bias with self-reported physical, mental and cognitive health, successful ageing, and socio-demographic attributes among 1,860 older women at the University of California, San Diego's Clinical Center for the Women's Health Initiative and the Sam and Rose Stein Institute for Research on Aging. The women were aged between 57 and 91 years and lived in the San Diego community. Measures included a ten-item Marlowe–Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and self-report scales of physical, mental and cognitive health, successful ageing and wellbeing, as well as standard socio-demographic attributes. Bivariate correlation and multiple regression models indicated that social desirability scores negatively associated with self-reported levels of hostility, anxiety, perceived stress and self-reported cognitive failures, and that they predicted additional variance in multiple regression analyses above models containing socio-demographic predictors alone. On the other hand, even the strongest associations were what are generally considered ‘small effects’ (r<0.30). Overall, while the findings support the general validity of most of the self-report measures in studies of normal and successful ageing, consideration of social desirability response bias in the interpretation of self-reports of low levels of some key constructs (anxiety, hostility, stress, self-perceived cognitive deficits) is warranted.

Keywords

social desirabilitysuccessful ageinghealthcognitiondepression
Type
Submitted Articles
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 31 , Issue 3: Methodologies for Ageing Populations , April 2011 , pp. 438 - 454
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abraham, J. D. and Hansson, R. O. 1995. Successful aging at work: an applied study of selection, organization, optimization, and compensation through impression management. Journals of Gerontology: Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 50B, 2, 94–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barrick, M. R. and Mount, M. K. 1996. Effects of impression management and self-deception on the predictive validity of personality constructs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 3, 261–72.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Breemhaar, B., Visser, A. P. and Kleijnen, J. G. 1990. Perceptions and behaviour among elderly hospital patients: description and explanation of age differences in satisfaction, knowledge, emotions and behaviour. Social Science and Medicine, 31, 12, 1377–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Broadbent, D. E., Cooper, P. F., FitzGerald, P. and Parkes, K. R. 1982. The Cognitive Failures Questionnaire CFQ and its correlates. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21, 1, 1–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Boulet, J. and Boss, M. W. 1991. Reliability and Validity of the Brief Symptom Inventory. Psychological Assessment: A journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 3, 3, 433–437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cappeliez, P. 1989. Social desirability response set and self-report depression inventories in the elderly. Clinical Gerontologist, 9, 2, 45–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, J. 1988. Statistical Power Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. Lawrence Erlbaum, Hillsdale, New Jersey.Google Scholar
Cohen, S., Kamarck, T. and Mermelstein, R. 1983. A global measure of perceived stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24, 4, 385–96.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crowne, D. P. and Marlowe, D. 1960. A new scale of social desirability independent of psychopathology. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 24, 4, 349–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Derogatis, L. R. and Melisaratos, N. 1983. The Brief Symptom Inventory: an introductory report. Psychological Medicine, 13, 3, 595–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dicken, C. 1963. Good impression, social desirability, and acquiescence as suppressor variables. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 23, 4, 699–720.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dijkstra, W., Smit, J. H. and Comijs, C. H. 2001. Using social desirability scales in research among the elderly. Quality and Quantity, 35, 1, 107–15.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drachman, D. A., Swearer, J. M., Kane, K., Osgood, D., O'Toole, C. and Moonis, M. 1996. The Cognitive Assessment Screening Test CAST for dementia. Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, 9, 4, 200–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, A. L. 1953. The relationship between the judged desirability of a trait and the probability that the trait will be endorsed. Journal of Applied Psychology, 37, 2, 90–3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, A. L. 1957. The Social Desirability Variable in Personality Assessment and Research. Henry Holt, New York.Google Scholar
Edwards, M., Feightner, J. and Goldsmith, C. H. 1995. Inter-rater reliability of assessments administered by individuals with and without a background in health care. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 15, 2, 103–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisenberg, N. and Okun, M. A. 1996. The relations of dispositional regulation and emotionality to elders' empathy-related responding and affect while volunteering. Journal of Personality, 64, 1, 157–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gove, W. R. and Geerken, M. R. 1977. Response bias in surveys of mental health: an empirical investigation. American Journal of Sociology, 82, 6, 1289–317.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Helmers, K. F., Krantz, D. S., Merz, C. N., Klein, J., Kop, W. J., Gottdiener, J. S. and Rozanski, A. 1995. Defensive hostility: relationship to multiple markers of cardiac ischemia in patients with coronary disease. Health Psychology, 14, 3, 202–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jenkinson, C., Wright, L. and Coulter, A. 1994. Criterion validity and reliability of the SF-36 in a population sample. Quality of Life Research, 3, 1, 7–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, L. C., Murphy, S. A. and Dimond, M. 1996. Reliability, construct validity, and subscale norms of the Brief Symptom Inventory when administered to bereaved parents. Journal of Nursing Measurement, 4, 2, 117–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Klassen, D., Hornstra, R. K. and Anderson, P. B. 1975. Influence of social desirability on symptom and mood reporting in a community survey. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 43, 4, 448–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kozma, A. and Stones, M. J. 1987. Social desirability in measures of subjective well-being: a systematic evaluation. Journal of Gerontology, 42, 1, 56–9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kozma, A. and Stones, M. J. 1988. Social desirability in measures of subjective well-being: age comparisons. Social Indicators Research, 20, 1, 1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lamond, A. J., Depp, C. A., Allison, M., Langer, R., Reichstadt, J., Moore, D. J., Golshan, S., Ganiats, T. G. and Jeste, D. V. 2008. Measurement and predictors of resilience among community-dwelling older women. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 43, 2, 148–54.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawton, M. P. 1975. The Philadelphia Geriatric Centre Morale Scale: a revision. Journal of Gerontology, 30, 1, 85–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lu, L. and Shih, J. B. 1997. Personality and happiness: is mental health a mediator? Personality and Individual Differences, 22, 2, 249–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mancini, J. A. and McKeel, A. J. 1986. Social desirability and psychological well-being reports in late life: a further inquiry. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 46, 1, 89–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martin, K. A., Leary, M. R. and Rejeski, W. J. 2000. Self-presentational concerns in older adults: implications for health and well-being. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, special issue, The Social Psychology of Aging, 22, 3, 169–79.Google Scholar
McCrae, R. R. and Costa, J. P. T. 1983. Social desirability scales: more substance than style. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 6, 882–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McHorney, C. A., Ware, J. E. Jr and Raczek, A. E. 1993. The MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36): II. Psychometric and clinical tests of validity in measuring physical and mental health constructs. Medical Care, 31, 3, 247–63.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Montross, L. P., Depp, C. A., Daly, J., Reichstadt, J., Golshan, S., Moore, D. J., Sitzer, D. and Jeste, D. V. 2006. Correlates of self-rated successful aging among community-dwelling older adults. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 14, 1, 43–51.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moore, D. J., Sitzer, D., Depp, C. A., Montross, L. P., Reichstadt, J., Lebowitz, B. D. and Jeste, D. V. 2007. Self-administered cognitive screening for a study of successful aging among community-dwelling seniors: a preliminary study. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 22, 4, 327–31.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Phillips, L. H., Henry, J. D., Hosie, J. A. and Milne, A. B. 2006. Age, anger regulation and well-being. Aging and Mental Health, 10, 3, 250–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Radloff, L. S. 1977. The CES-D Scale: a self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurement, 1, 3, 385–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ray, J. J. 1988. Lie scales and the elderly. Personality and Individual Differences, 9, 2, 417–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reynolds, W. M. 1982. Development of reliable and valid short forms of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 1, 119–25.3.0.CO;2-I>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ruehlman, L. S., Lanyon, R. I. and Karoly, P. 1999. Development and validation of the multidimensional health profile. Part I: Psychosocial functioning. Psychological Assessment, 11, 2, 166–76.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strahan, R. and Gerbasi, K. C. 1972. Short, homogeneous versions of the Marlow-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 28, 2, 191–3.3.0.CO;2-G>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stöber, J. 2001. The Social Desirability Scale-17 SDS-17: convergent validity, discriminant validity, and relationship with age. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 17, 3, 222–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomsen, D. K., Mehlsen, M. Y., Viidik, A., Sommerlund, B. and Zachariae, R. 2005. Age and gender differences in negative affect: is there a role for emotion regulation? Personality and Individual Differences, 38, 8, 1935–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations Organisation (UNO) 2001. World Population Ageing: 1950–2050. Population Division, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, UNO, New York. Available online at http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/worldageing19502050/ [Accessed 01 November 2010].Google Scholar
Wallace, J. C., Kass, S. J. and Stanny, C. J. 2002. The cognitive failures questionnaire revisited: dimensions and correlates. Journal of General Psychology, 129, 3, 238–56.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ware, J. E. Jr and Sherbourne, C. D. 1992. The MOS 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36). I. Conceptual framework and item selection. Medical Care, 30, 6, 473–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welte, J. W. and Russell, M. 1993. Influence of socially desirable responding in a study of stress and substance abuse. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 17, 4, 758–61.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wijndaele, K., Matton, L., Duvigneaud, N., Lefevre, J., Duquet, W., Thomis, M., De Bourdeaudhuij, I. and Philippaerts, R. 2007. Reliability, equivalence and respondent preference of computerized versus paper-and-pencil mental health questionnaires. Computers in Human Behavior, 23, 4, 1958–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Women's Health Initiative Study Group 1998. Design of the Women's Health Initiative clinical trial and observational study. Controlled Clinical Trials, 19, 1, 61–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wrobel, A. J. and Shapiro, N. E. 1999. Conducting research with urban elders: issues of recruitment, data collection, and home visits. Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders, 13, supplement 1, S34–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed