Ambulatory Assessment of Everyday Stressors: A Two-Study Experiment Evaluating the Effect of Question Format on Self-Reported Daily and Momentary Stressors

Ambulatory assessment methods (e.g., ecological momentary assessment [EMA], daily diary) are used to study the impact of daily stress on physical and mental health and behavior. However, there is relatively little information about how question format might influence responding. In two ambulatory studies, the effect of question format (i.e., binary yes/no vs. event checklist) on reporting of everyday stressors was evaluated. Study 1 included 58 urban caregivers of children with asthma in a diary design, and study 2 included 27 overweight/obese adults in an EMA design. Participants in both studies completed surveys that included questions about stressor occurrence and severity with one question format each week (binary vs. checklist); participants were randomized to question order, counterbalanced across weeks. Results suggested that participants in study 1, but not study 2, reported more stressors when provided a checklist vs. yes/no question. Stressor severity ratings did not systematically differ across question format. Additional research on question format across samples and designs could help to inform future ambulatory study design.