Cited by 75Survey Methodology and NonresponseDigital Mental Health InterventionsAnxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes

Telephone versus internet administration of self-report measures of social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and insomnia: psychometric evaluation of a method to reduce the impact of missing data.

Open access
Hedman, Erik, Ljótsson, Brjánn, Blom, Kerstin, El Alaoui, Samir, Kraepelien, Martin, Rück, Christian, Andersson, Gerhard, Svanborg, Cecilia +2 more·2013·Journal of Medical Internet Research

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Internet-administered self-report measures of social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep difficulties are widely used in clinical trials and in clinical routine care, but data loss is a common problem that could render skewed estimates of symptom levels and treatment effects. One way of reducing the negative impact of missing data could be to use telephone administration of self-report measures as a means to complete the data missing from the online data collection. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the convergence of telephone and Internet administration of self-report measures of social anxiety, depressive symptoms, and sleep difficulties. METHODS: The Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale-Self-Report (LSAS-SR), Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale-Self-Rated (MADRS-S), and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) were administered over the telephone and via the Internet to a clinical sample (N=82) of psychiatric patients at a clinic specializing in Internet-delivered treatment. Shortened versions of the LSAS-SR and the ISI were used when administered via telephone. RESULTS: As predicted, the results showed that the estimates produced by the two administration formats were highly correlated (r=.82-.91; P<.001) and internal consistencies were high in both administration formats (telephone: Cronbach alpha=.76-.86 and Internet: Cronbach alpha=.79-.93). The correlation coefficients were similar across questionnaires and the shorter versions of the questionnaires used in the telephone administration of the LSAS-SR and ISI performed in general equally well compared to when the full scale was used, as was the case with the MADRS-S. CONCLUSIONS: Telephone administration of self-report questionnaires is a valid method that can be used to reduce data loss in routine psychiatric practice as well as in clinical trials, thereby contributing to more accurate symptom estimates.

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  • The short version of the Insomnia Severity Index has been validated and is highly correlated with the original version.

    “The shorter version has been validated and is highly correlated with the original version (66).”

    From The Evolution of Psychological and Behavioral Consequences of Self-Isolation During Lockdown: A Longitudinal Study Across United Kingdom and Italy (2022) · cites this paper as [66]

    The Results (‘Correlation Between Administration Formats’) report a high correlation (r=.91) between the shortened telephone-administered ISI and the full Internet-administered ISI. The Discussion says these findings suggest that shortened questionnaires are valid for telephone administration, but it does not establish general validation of the shortened ISI independent of that administration method. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Other studies have demonstrated the usefulness of Internet and telephone assessments and their concordance with traditional face-to-face assessment.

    “However, other studies have demonstrated the usefulness of Internet and telephone assessments, and their concordance with traditional face-to-face assessment (87–90).”

    From Exploring the relationship between the acceptability of an internet-based intervention for depression in primary care and clinical outcomes: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial (2019) · cites this paper as [90]

    The Introduction reports that telephone diagnostic interviews have shown high convergent validity with face-to-face interviews. The Results and Discussion show strong agreement between telephone- and Internet-administered self-reports and describe telephone administration as a valid substitute. This paper does not establish concordance between Internet assessments and face-to-face assessments. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Missing MADRS-S scores post treatment were imputed from telephone-administered MADRS-S when possible using regression coefficients from Hedman et al. (2013).

    “Missing MADRS-S scores post treatment were imputed from telephoneadministered MADRS-S when possible using the regression coefficients from Hedman et al. (2013).”

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Authors
Hedman, E., Ljótsson, B., Blom, K., El Alaoui, S., Kraepelien, M., Rück, C., Andersson, G., Svanborg, C., Lindefors, N., & Kaldo, V.
Affiliations
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • Linköping University (SE)
Venue
Journal of Medical Internet Research
Published
2013-10-18
Volume
15
Issue
10
Pages
e229
ISSN
1438-8871 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2076996711
Cited by
75
References
22
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 1
FWCI
15.43
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Journal of Medical Internet Research (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Survey Methodology and Nonresponse
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
Keywords
telephone administration, missing data, social anxiety, depressive symptoms, insomnia, self-report measures, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale, Insomnia Severity Index, psychiatric patients, internet-delivered treatment, questionnaire shortening, psychometric validity
MeSH terms
Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Female, Humans, Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders, Male, Psychometrics, Self Disclosure, Social Behavior, Telephone, Internet

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