The validity of self-reported cocaine use in two high-risk populations

Self-reports of drug use are extensively employed in research on drug use and in evaluations of drug abuse treatment and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention interventions. The chapter first summarizes recent research addressing the validity of drug use self-reports in high-risk populations. The results of two self-report validity studies are then compared, one for a sample of patients in methadone maintenance and the other for a sample of criminally involved young adults. Cocaine use was more accurately reported by the methadone patients; the possible reasons for this are explored.