Procedures for Adjusting Self-Reports of Violence for Social Desirability Bias

Abstract

Clinicians and researchers frequently rely on self-reports of interpersonal violence. These reports are likely to be biased because of respondents' inclination to give socially desirable answers. This article describes methods for adjusting measures of violence and its correlates to take such response bias into account. Several studies are used to illustrate the application of an adjustment procedure to research and clinical assessment.