Consistency of Self-Reported Sexual Behavior in Surveys

Hamilton, Deven T.; Morris, Martina

doi:10.1007/s10508-009-9505-7

Cited by 31 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…A small validation study conducted by PSI in Kenya that used self-administered “ballot box” methods did obtain higher rates of disclosure, especially among women. In a systematic analysis of sexual behavior reporting across studies in the United States, however, face-to-face interviews did not produce lower estimates than self-administered surveys [11]. In any case, the differences between the DHS and PSI findings shows there is clearly a wide range of reporting that can be elicited using face-to-face interviewing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Estimates of Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships Across Population Based Surveys: Implications for Combination HIV Prevention

Morris

Leslie-Cook

et al. 2013

AIDS Behav

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We compare estimates of multiple and concurrent sexual partnerships from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) with comparable Population Services International (PSI) surveys in four African countries (Kenya, Lesotho, Uganda, Zambia). DHS data produce significantly lower estimates of all indicators for both sexes in all countries. PSI estimates of multiple partnerships are 1.7 times higher [1.4 for men (M), 3.0 for women (W)], cumulative prevalence of concurrency is 2.4 times higher (2.2 M, 2.7 W), the point prevalence of concurrency is 3.5 times higher (3.5 M, 3.3 W), and the fraction of multi-partnered persons who report concurrency last year is 1.4 times higher (1.6 M, 0.9 W). These findings provide strong empirical evidence that DHS surveys systematically underestimate levels of multiple and concurrent partnerships. The underestimates will contaminate both empirical analyses of the link between sexual behavior and HIV infection, and theoretical models for combination prevention that use these data for inputs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Estimates of Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships Across Population Based Surveys: Implications for Combination HIV Prevention

Morris

Leslie-Cook

et al. 2013

AIDS Behav

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“…The retrospective window is an important determinant of the size of these discrepancies. In the US, the discrepancy drops from a ratio of 4∶1 using the lifetime partner reports, to 1.5∶1 using partners in the last year [52], and effectively 1∶1 using the number of partnerships ongoing on the date of interview [53]. This suggests both that active status can be reliably reported, and that point prevalence estimates, when they are based on the shortest possible recall period, will be more reliable than cumulative prevalence estimates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Timing Is Everything: International Variations in Historical Sexual Partnership Concurrency and HIV Prevalence

2010

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BackgroundHigher prevalence of concurrent partnerships is one hypothesis for the severity of the HIV epidemic in the countries of Southern Africa. But measures of the prevalence of concurrency alone do not adequately capture the impact concurrency will have on transmission dynamics. The importance of overlap duration and coital exposure are examined here.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe conducted a comparison of data from three studies of sexual behavior carried out in the early 1990s in Uganda, Thailand and the US. Using cumulative concurrency measures, the three countries appeared somewhat similar. Over 50% of both Thai and Ugandan men reported a concurrency within the last three partnerships and over 20% reported a concurrency in the last year, the corresponding rates among US men were nearly 20% for Blacks and Hispanics, and about 10% for other racial/ethnic groups. Concurrency measures that were more sensitive to overlap duration, however, showed large differences. The point prevalence of concurrency on the day of interview was over 10% among Ugandan men compared to 1% for Thai men. Ugandan concurrencies were much longer duration – a median of about two years – than either the Thai (1 day) or US concurrencies (4–9 months across all groups), and involved 5–10 times more coital risk exposure with the less frequent partner. In the US, Blacks and Hispanics reported higher prevalence, longer duration and greater coital exposure than Whites, but were lower than Ugandans on nearly every measure. Together, the differences in the prevalence, duration and coital exposure of concurrent partnerships observed align with the HIV prevalence differentials seen in these populations at the time the data were collected.Conclusions/SignificanceThere were substantial variations in the patterns of concurrent partnerships within and between populations. More long-term overlapping partnerships, with regular coital exposure, were found in populations with greater HIV epidemic severity.

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“…The fact that the gender gap in reported lifetime partners has narrowed over time potentially reflects greater accuracy in the reporting of sexual behavior in general, due to improved survey methodology and changes in social attitudes that are more gender equal and tolerant of diversity (Copas et al, 2002). Indeed, statistical comparisons across surveys suggest that measurement error in reporting lifetime partners may be no more than for other less sensitive survey measures (Hamilton & Morris, 2010). It is also worth noting that gender differences are small for recent, shorter time periods, and these are the periods commonly used in understanding STI risk and modeling transmission.…”

Section: Why Do Men Report More Sexual Partners Than Women?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why Do Men Report More Opposite-Sex Sexual Partners Than Women? Analysis of the Gender Discrepancy in a British National Probability Survey

Mitchell

Mercer

Prah

et al. 2018

The Journal of Sex Research

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In a closed population and defined time period, the mean number of opposite-sex partners reported by men and women should be equal. However, in all surveys, men report more partners. This inconsistency is pivotal to debate about the reliability of self-reported sexual behavior. We used data from the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (Natsal-3), a probability sample survey of the British population, to investigate the extent to which survey sampling, accounting strategies (e.g., estimating versus counting), and (mis)reporting due to social norms might explain the inconsistency. Men reported a mean of 14.14 lifetime partners; women reported 7.12. The gender gap of 7.02 reduced to 5.47 after capping the lifetime partner number at the 99th percentile. In addition, adjusting for counting versus estimation reduced the gender gap to 3.24, and further adjusting for sexual attitudes narrowed it to 2.63. Together, these may account for almost two-thirds of the gender disparity. Sampling explanations (e.g., non-U.K.-resident partners included in counts; sex workers underrepresented) had modest effects. The findings underscore the need for survey methods that facilitate candid reporting and suggest that approaches to encourage counting rather than estimating may be helpful. This study is novel in interrogating a range of potential explanations within the same nationally representative data set.

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Consistency of Self-Reported Sexual Behavior in Surveys

Cited by 31 publications

References 44 publications

Comparing Estimates of Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships Across Population Based Surveys: Implications for Combination HIV Prevention

Comparing Estimates of Multiple and Concurrent Partnerships Across Population Based Surveys: Implications for Combination HIV Prevention

Timing Is Everything: International Variations in Historical Sexual Partnership Concurrency and HIV Prevalence

Why Do Men Report More Opposite-Sex Sexual Partners Than Women? Analysis of the Gender Discrepancy in a British National Probability Survey

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