Comparison of Prospective and Retrospective Measurements of Frequency of Sexual Intercourse

Abstract

Measurements of sexual intercourse frequency are informative for research on pregnancy, contraception, and the transmission of sexually transmitted infections; however, efficiently collecting data on this sensitive topic is complex. The purpose of this study was to determine whether retrospective recall of sexual intercourse frequency was consistent with information obtained through the use of prospective daily diary methods corresponding to the same time period in a diverse sample of women. A total of 185 women participated in a longitudinal, prospective cohort study of oral contraceptive users and 98 of these women provided complete information on sexual intercourse frequency on diaries (prospective) and postcards (retrospective). Linear mixed models were used to test for variation in response within categories of demographic and other variables. The mean number of days women had sexual intercourse per week was 1.5 days using prospective diary information versus 2.0 days when using 3-month retrospective recall (p <0.001). Mean differences for the various sociodemographic subgroups were positive for all groups indicating that women consistently reported a higher frequency of sexual intercourse on the retrospective postcards than they recorded on their prospective diaries; however, these mean differences did not vary significantly. If confirmed in other samples, the use of retrospective methods may be adequate to accurately collect data on sexual intercourse frequency—and may be preferable. Using only retrospective measurements could decrease study costs, the burden to participants, and have a higher response rate.

Using Bi‐Weekly Surveys to Portray Adolescent Partnership Dynamics: Lessons From a Mobile Diary Study

“…Temporal memory decay and “telescoping” can also lead respondents to mistakenly import into the reference period partnerships that actually occurred earlier (Schwarz & Oyserman, ). In mDiary , retrospective estimates of partners tended toward inflated counts, especially for male respondents, which is consistent with findings from diary studies about adult sexual activity (e.g., Huber et al., ; Mark et al., ; Schroder et al., ). That almost one‐fifth of boys could not estimate the number of partners they had over the previous year illustrates the recall problem confronted by conventional longitudinal studies of youth.…”

“…They have been fruitfully used to assess recall bias in sexual behavior among adults (Schroder, Carey, & Vanable, ). For example, several studies have found that adults tend to report a higher frequency of sexual intercourse retrospectively as compared to prospectively through daily diaries (Gillmore, Leigh, Hoppe, & Morrison, ; Huber et al., ; Mark, Smith, Young, & Crosby, ; see McAuliffe, DiFrancisco, & Reed, for an exception). To our knowledge, diaries have not been used to study adolescent romantic and sexual partnerships.…”

An Electronic Daily Diary Study of Anal Intercourse in Drug-Using Women

“…These include studies of condom use among adolescent women [33, 34], hormonal contraception use [35], bleeding after intrauterine device insertion [36], hot flashes [37], pubic hair removal [38], prevalence of anal intercourse [39], prevalence of pain during anal intercourse, [40] and use of microbicides and other lubricants [41, 42]. Unlike the plethora of Internet-based studies of the intersection of drug use and sexual risk behaviors of MSM, far fewer of the Internet studies have focused on anal intercourse in women and its association with illicit drug use and other behaviors, using newer technologies.…”