Traumatic Stress Research Consortium, Kinsey Institute, Indiana University-Bloomington, 150 S Woodlawn Ave., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Columbus, OH, USA.
Arch Sex Behav. 2023 May;52(4):1743-1752. doi: 10.1007/s10508-023-02533-6. Epub 2023 Jan 24.
Online surveys are a popular tool in sex research and it is vital to understand participation bias in these surveys to improve inferences. However, research on this topic is limited and out of date given the increase in online survey methodology and changes in sexual attitudes. This study examined whether demographics and sexual abuse and assault history predict opting into online survey questions about sex. The sample was recruited for a longitudinal mental health study using a probability-based sampling panel developed to represent the US household population. Participants were masked to the inclusion of sexual content and given a choice to opt into sex questions. Analyses were run on raw and weighted responses to adjust for sampling bias. Of the total sample (n = 476, 62.6% female), 69% opted into sex questions. Raw analysis showed that participants were more likely to be younger, have higher education and income, and have a history of sexual abuse or assault. No racial, gender, relationship status, or regional differences were found. After weighting, effect sizes were reduced for most predictor variables, and only a history of sexual abuse or assault still significantly predicted participation. Results suggest that key demographic features do not have a strong association with participation in sex survey questions. Reasons for participation bias stemming from sexual abuse or assault history should be examined further. This study demonstrates how researchers should continue to monitor participation bias in sex survey research as online methodologies and sexual attitudes evolve over time.
在线调查是性研究中常用的工具,了解这些调查中的参与偏差对于提高推论至关重要。然而,鉴于在线调查方法的增加和性态度的变化,关于这个主题的研究是有限的和过时的。本研究检查了人口统计学特征和性虐待和性侵犯史是否预测参与在线性问题调查。该样本是通过基于概率的抽样小组招募参加一项纵向心理健康研究的,该小组旨在代表美国家庭人口。参与者对包含性内容的内容进行了屏蔽,并可以选择参与性问题。对原始和加权响应进行了分析,以调整抽样偏差。在总样本(n=476,女性占 62.6%)中,69%的人选择了性问题。原始分析表明,参与者更年轻、受教育程度和收入更高,且有性虐待或性侵犯史。未发现种族、性别、关系状况或地区差异。在加权后,大多数预测变量的效应大小减小,只有性虐待或性侵犯史仍然显著预测参与。结果表明,关键人口统计学特征与参与性调查问题没有很强的关联。应该进一步研究性虐待或性侵犯史导致的参与偏差的原因。本研究表明,随着在线方法和性态度随时间的推移而演变,研究人员应该继续监测性调查研究中的参与偏差。