The Web-Based Assessment of Suicidal and Suicide-Related Symptoms: Factors Associated With Disclosing Identifying Information to Receive Study Compensation

ABSTRACT

With the increasing utilization of Web-based surveys for suicide and suicide-related research, it is critical to understand factors that affect participants' decision to request study compensation (and thus potentially reveal their identity) or remain anonymous. This study evaluated differences in demographics, suicidal symptoms, and suicide-related constructs between participants electing and declining to provide identifying information to receive study compensation. A sample of 931 firefighters (91.5% male) participated in a Web-based mental health survey; on survey completion, individuals had the option to provide contact information to receive a $10 gift card. Logistic regression analyses were employed to investigate differences between those who did and did not provide this information. Overall, 82.8% provided identifying information, with younger individuals significantly more likely to do so. Participants reporting more severe suicidal symptoms and greater levels of suicide-related constructs appeared equally, and in some cases, significantly more, willing to provide identifying information. Findings indicate that individuals reporting more sensitive or stigmatizing experiences might not systematically opt out of receiving study compensation to remain anonymous on Web-based surveys. Additional research is warranted to replicate these findings in more representative samples and further delineate personality and other factors influencing the disclosure of contact information to receive study compensation.

Funding

This research was supported in part by a grant from the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, and by the Military Suicide Research Consortium, an effort supported by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs under Award No. (W81XWH-10-2-0181). Opinions, interpretations, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Military Suicide Research Consortium or the Department of Defense.

Notes

¹ Of note, we do not conjecture that decisions to disclose identifying information will differ between firefighters and nonfirefighters. Instead, we used a sample of firefighters given the opportunity to leverage data from that study to test the novel hypotheses posited herein.

² For age-specific analyses, we adjusted only for race or ethnicity; for race or ethnicity-specific analyses, we adjusted only for age.