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Item non-response when measuring elder abuse: influence of methodological choices
Liesbeth De Donder1, Gert Lang, Bridget Penhale
11 Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
European Journal of Public Health
|December 11, 2012
Summary
Accurate measurement of elder abuse is challenging due to sensitive topics and varied methods. This study reveals how item non-response and prevalence are influenced by individual factors and survey administration, aiding in improved measurement strategies.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Criminology
- Survey Methodology
Background:
- Efficient interventions against elder abuse require reliable measurement, yet the sensitivity of the topic complicates data collection.
- Varying prevalence rates in existing research are often attributed to differing designs and definitions, with limited understanding of measurement errors like item non-responses and administration mode effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate measurement errors, specifically item non-responses and their impact on elder abuse prevalence estimates.
- To analyze how different data collection methods influence survey outcomes in studies on domestic abuse against older women.
Main Methods:
- A multi-national European study involving 2880 home-dwelling women (aged >60 years) to measure domestic abuse.
- Utilized a measurement instrument adapted from the Conflict Tactics Scale, covering six forms of abuse.
- Employed three data collection methods: postal, face-to-face, and telephone interviews.
Main Results:
- Principal component analysis identified diverse patterns of item non-response across 34 abuse indicators.
- Response patterns varied significantly across different data collection methods.
- Binary logistic regression demonstrated that item non-response and abuse prevalence are influenced by individual characteristics, survey content sensitivity, question order, data collection type, and survey completion assistance.
Conclusions:
- Findings offer insights into improving the measurement of elder abuse by understanding response errors.
- Discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the questionnaire and data collection methods.
- Highlights the impact of item positioning effects, acquiescence, and social desirability on survey responses.
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