A Five-Item Measure of Socially Desirable Response Set

Abstract
The internal consistency reliability of a five-item measure of socially desirable response set, the SDRS-5, was examined in two samples: 614 outpatients of medical providers and 3053 outpatients of medical and mental health providers. Alpha reliability estimates were 0.66 and 0.68, respectively. One-month test-retest reliability was 0.75 in a sample of 75 older adults. With appropriate caveats, we recommend the SDRS-5 for clinical investigators needing a very brief measure of socially desirable response set.