A COMPARISON OF MAIL AND TELEPHONE INTERVIEW STRATEGIES FOR MENTAL-HEALTH SURVEYS

The high cost of mental health surveys of the general population has s parked interest in less costly research methods. Two low-cost mental h ealth survey strategies (mail and telephone) were compared in terms of cost, response rate and quality of data obtained. A total of 1,074 pe rsons agreed to participate in the study as a sample, one-half by tele phone and the other half by mail. They completed the Diagnostic Interv iew Schedule Self-Administered, a questionnaire designed to be self-ad ministered, which was used to assess specific mental disorders and to evaluate risk factors. In addition, 239 respondents who were selected according to the presence or absence of specific diagnoses were reinte rviewed face-to-face using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule as an ext ernal criterion. The telephone method yielded a better response rate ( 15% higher) and better control over answers (for example, less missing data). The mail strategy was less expensive and appeared to yield dat a of slightly better quality, particularly for respondents suffering f rom anxiety disorders.