Adolescent Substance Use Assessment: Concordance Between Tools Using Self-Administered and Interview Formats

Abstract

The present study evaluates the agreement between adolescent self-report of substance use frequencies obtained from a self-administered questionnaire vs. face-to-face interview formats. Participants were 108 adolescents (82 males, 26 females), aged 11 to 19 (M = 15.74, SD = 1.17), who were referred for a chemical dependence assessment between June of 1999 and June of 2000 in Minnesota. The adolescent battery included the self-administered Personal Experience Inventory and the face-to-face interviewer-administered Drug Use History Interview to assess substance use frequency. A urine sample was also collected to validate self-report of recent substance use. Bivariate correlations between adolescent self-report on the self-administered and interviewer-administered formats were strong for alcohol (average r = 0.72) and marijuana (average r = 0.81) use frequencies during the 3 months and 12 months preceding the baseline assessment. However, adolescents were generally more likely to report greater frequencies of alcohol and marijuana use during the interview-administered protocol when compared to the self-administered format. Study implications and limitations are discussed.

Keywords:

• adolescent
• alcohol
• marijuana
• assessment

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrea L. Stone

Andrea Leigh Stone is a doctoral candidate at the Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her primary area of interest is adolescent drug use, with a focus on antecedent of use and potential protective influences. She worked as a member of the assessment staff for the NIDA-funded, Stage I pilot study, testing the Integrated Family and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy associated with this manuscript.

William W. Latimer

William Latimer, PhD., M.P.H., is an Associate Professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Mental Health. His research focuses on the epidemiology, prevention, and treatment of drug abuse and infectious disease with a special focus on neurobehavioral risk factors of drug dependence and HIV. The present study was part of a Stage I study funded by NIDA's Behavioral Therapies Development Program to develop and pilot-test efficacy of Integrated Family and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy.