Reliability of adolescent self-reported pretreatment alcohol and other drug use

This study is a preliminary examination of the reliability of adolescent self-reported pretreatment alcohol and other drug (AOD) use frequency. Assessments of self-reported pretreatment AOD use were conducted at admission and discharge (approximately a 1-month time period) at an adolescent drug misuser treatment program. The sample consisted of 197 male and female adolescents. There were statistically significant increases between admission and discharge assessments of pretreatment AOD use frequency. The greatest discrepancy was found for alcohol use, in which three-fourths (76%) of the sample reported a higher level of pretreatment alcohol use frequency at discharge assessment as compared to their admission assessment. Over one-third (35%) of the sample was found to have a significantly higher level of pretreatment alcohol use frequency at discharge assessment. The cause of this response discrepancy is unknown, but if it represents underreporting at admission, it may cause diagnostic and referral errors, as well as attenuate effect sizes in treatment outcome studies.