Social Desirability in the Assessment of Trauma

Since admitting distress is often considered undesirable, the role of social desirability as a moderator variable in the assessment of traumatic events scores, on the PTSD Interview, and diagnosis was investigated. A sample of 342 city bus drivers were grouped by their lifetime exposure to trauma (nonexposed, stressful but nontraumatic event, traumatic event). Analyses replicate and extend findings from the literature on life events: social desirability plays a marginal role as a moderator variable in the assessment of trauma.