Influence of social desirability response set on self-report for assessing the outcome of treated alcoholics

We studied the influence of the social desirability response set on self- reporting by alcoholics on the outcome of treatment. Seventy-one treated alcoholics gave answers based on the social desirability scale (SDS) and 19 alcohol-related items designed to evaluate abstinence, and were diagnostically interviewed. The serum γ-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGT) level was used as an external standard to evaluate the validity of self-reporting. As SDS scores increased, both the rate of abstinence reported by the subjects and the κ coefficient between the self-report and diagnostic interview increased. However, the GGT level was significantly low in subjects who reported abstinence than those who reported drinking, regardless of SDS score. Thus, the social desirability response set may not be associated with a conscious response bias in alcohol-related self-reports, but may be associated with a good outcome of alcoholism.