A Critical Look at the Challenges of Conducting de-Identified Military Surveys.

Survey research has long been a cornerstone of behavioral health and medical research. With the growth of Internet-based survey platforms, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, conducting surveys completely online has become the standard. Online surveys provide the field with a fast, cost-effective method for gaining insights into relationships among health variables or in obtaining preliminary data to inform larger-scale studies. Additionally, online surveys enable researchers to recruit from a larger geographical area, thus increasing the generalizability of findings and, importantly, allowing participants to complete study activities completely de-identified. Although participating anonymously can increase one's comfort with disclosing sensitive or stigmatizing information, this can pose significant challenges to ensuring the legitimacy of participants' eligibility. This may be particularly true when compensation is available, increasing the likelihood of a prospective participant falsely reporting characteristics such as current or former military service. The following commentary provides an overview of the current landscape for researchers conducting military-related research via online surveys, with a specific emphasis on challenges in ensuring participants have a military background. In support of this, we present several real-world challenges for conducting de-identified online surveys, such as difficulties ensuring participants have a military background and preventing the use of "bots." Additionally, the evolving challenge of artificial intelligence is discussed in the context of its impact on knowledge-based screening methods such as the Military Screener Questionnaire. Alternative approaches, such as compensated screening surveys, are presented. Surveys will continue to be an important tool for advancing military medical research; however, researchers must discuss findings within the context of the inherent limitations of the methodology. The field should carefully monitor the evolving challenges to conducting online surveys.