NCJ Number
209075
Journal
Substance Use and Misuse Volume: 40 Issue: 3 Dated: 2005 Pages: 299-311
Date Published
2005
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined the validity of self-report of substance use by adolescents referred for substance use assessment between 1996 and 2000.
Abstract
For many years there was a consensus that the self-report of substance users was reliable and valid. However, in recent years the validity of self-report of substance use has come under question with evidence that recent arrestees significantly underreport their recent use. This study further investigated the validity of self-report as it applied to adolescents who had been referred for substance-use assessment at a substance-user treatment clinic. The study sample consisted of 367 adolescents at the Addiction Center, Foothills Medical Center, Calgary, Alberta, Canada between 1996 and 2000. Where the results suggest that adolescent self-report of substance use has some degree of validity, it is far from perfect. The validity is strongly influenced by the demand characteristics and memory requirements of the situation. In this study, about one-third of individuals who denied their substance use had a positive urinalysis and one-third who claimed to be using a substance had a negative urinalysis. It is recommended that in order to attain the most accurate clinical picture, the optimal approach is to utilize conditions that not only promote accurate self-report, but use a variety of methods including both self-report and urinalysis. References