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A comparison of open-ended and closed questions in the prediction of mental health

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Abstract

The statistical benefit of adding open-ended questions to closed questions was evaluated in a survey of 643 participants. The construct of coping was chosen as the measurement domain. Open and closed questions were used to predict mental health a year later. Verbatim responses to open questions were reliably coded (ICC = 0.92), but they did not increase the statistical prediction of measures of mental health beyond the contribution of closed questions. Open-ended questions provided more in-depth information than closed questions, but at the cost of more missing data and less degrees of freedom. The benefit of using open-ended in addition to standard closed questions was thus practically nil, hence questioning the use of qualitative information gathering in surveys for the purpose of statistical prediction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Psychology, University of Tromsø, 9037, Tromsø, Norway

    Oddgeir Friborg & Jan H. Rosenvinge

  2. Psychiatric Research Centre of North Norway, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway

    Oddgeir Friborg

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  1. Oddgeir Friborg
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  2. Jan H. Rosenvinge
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Correspondence to Oddgeir Friborg.

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Friborg, O., Rosenvinge, J.H. A comparison of open-ended and closed questions in the prediction of mental health. Qual Quant 47, 1397–1411 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9597-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11135-011-9597-8

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