The Validity of Self-Reported Data on Drug Use

Surveys of drug use are continually criticized on the premise that respondents underreport the extent of their drug use. Validation studies conducted prior to the mid-1980s involving known samples of drug users or urinalysis techniques showed that drug use was fairly accurately reported in self-report surveys. However, more recent validation studies conducted with criminal justice clients using improved urinalysis techniques suggest less concordance between urinalysis and self-report. This paper reviews these studies and their implications for the validity of self-report in epidemiological drug surveys. Some general conclusions can be drawn from various validation studies. Valid self-reporting of drug use is a function of: 1) the recency of the event, 2) the social desirability of the drug, and 3) nuances of data collection methodology. The paper discusses methods used to improve the validity and quality of self-report data on drug use.