Matched and Fully Private? A New Self-Generated Identification Code for School-Based Cohort Studies to Increase...

Area of Science:

• Adolescent Health Research
• Psychological Measurement
• Data Privacy in Research

Background:

• Anonymous questionnaires are vital for sensitive adolescent research.
• Traditional self-generated identification codes (SGICs) may compromise perceived anonymity.
• Data protection laws can restrict research using conventional SGICs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel self-generated identification code (SGIC) designed for enhanced anonymity in adolescent research.
• To assess the perceived anonymity and efficiency of the new SGIC in longitudinal studies.

Main Methods:

• Study 1: Assessed perceived anonymity of the new SGIC in 601 adolescents (12-18 years) using lifestyle and risk behavior questionnaires.
• Study 2: Evaluated the efficiency of the new SGIC in matching participants across two years in a school cohort (N=123 at baseline, N=116 at follow-up).

Main Results:

• Study 1 found no evidence that adolescents felt identifiable using the new SGIC.
• Study 2 indicated the new SGIC has moderate performance with acceptable recall and precision for longitudinal matching.

Conclusions:

• The novel SGIC is a promising tool for enhancing anonymity in adolescent research.
• This SGIC facilitates effective anonymous data matching in school-based longitudinal studies.