Careless responding in ambulatory assessment: Comparing individuals with and without chronic pain

One key challenge in ambulatory assessment (AA)—the collection of intensive longitudinal data in daily life—is careless responding, which can compromise data quality. However, research on its prevalence and predictors in AA, particularly in clinical populations, remains limited. Using multilevel latent class analysis, we examined momentary careless responding and individual differences therein 233 individuals with chronic pain and 168 without, over a 14-day AA phase with five daily assessments. We tested whether the groups differed in the type, extent, and predictors of careless responding. Across both groups, three Level 1 profiles emerged: careful responding, fast and invariable responding, and inconsistent responding. At Level 2, we identified four respondent classes: careful, infrequently careless, and two frequently careless types. Multigroup multilevel latent class analysis indicated partial measurement invariance at Level 1, reflecting group-specific shifts in three indicator means, while the substantive interpretation of profiles remained stable. Full measurement invariance at Level 2 showed that individuals with and without chronic pain did not differ in the type or overall likelihood of careless responding. ... mehrAdditionally, higher stress and poorer sleep were associated with membership in the frequently careless classes.