Mode effects in self-reported mental health data

This article analyzes the impact of audio computer-assisted self-interviewing (ACASI) administration on the reporting of mental health syndromes in a general population survey. Estimates of four mental health syndromes (major depressive episode, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attack, and agoraphobia) obtained from an interviewer-administered, paper-and-pencil (I-PAPI) mental health module were compared with those obtained from an ACASI version of the same module implemented in a separate field test. The mental health questions consisted of four scales from the World Health Organization's Composite International Diagnostic Interview Short-Form. Comparisons of ACASI and I-PAPI estimates for each mental health syndrome were made overall and within age, race/ethnicity, gender, educational level, geographic region, and population density subgroups. To assess the likelihood of reporting a mental health syndrome using ACASI versus I-PAPI, logistic regression models were utilized controlling for possible confounding and interaction variables. The results suggest that adult respondents reported more mental health symptoms when interviewed with ACASI than when interviewed with I-PAPI, and the results support the use of ACASI in general population surveys of mental health.