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Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration . National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of Methodological Studies, 1971–2014 [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2014 Nov.
CITATION: Caspar, R. A. (1992). Follow-up of nonrespondents in 1990. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 155–173). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This chapter presents the results of a special follow-up survey of individuals who did not respond to the 1990 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The aim was to understand the reasons people chose not to participate, or were otherwise missed in the survey, and to use this information in assessing the extent of the bias, if any, that nonresponse introduced into the 1990 NHSDA estimates.
METHODS: To assess the impact of nonresponse, a follow-up study was undertaken on a subset of nonrespondents to the 1990 survey. The study was conducted in the Washington, DC, area, a region with a traditionally high nonresponse rate. The follow-up survey design included a $10 incentive and a shortened version of the instrument. The response rate for the follow-up survey was 38 percent.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The results of the follow-up study did not demonstrate definitively either the presence or absence of a serious nonresponse bias in the 1990 NHSDA. In terms of demographic characteristics, follow-up respondents appeared to be similar to the original NHSDA respondents. Estimates of drug use for follow-up respondents showed patterns that were similar to the regular NHSDA respondents. Only one statistically significant difference was found between the two groups for a composite measure of drug use (including cigarettes and alcohol) at any time during their lives, with follow-up respondents reporting higher rates than regular NHSDA respondents. Follow-up respondents also reported higher rates of lifetime use of cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, and cigarettes than regular NHSDA respondents, although the differences were not statistically significant. On the other hand, follow-up respondents had lower reported rates of past month use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and any drug use than regular NHSDA respondents, but these differences were not statistically significant. Another finding was that among those who participated in the follow-up survey, one third were judged by interviewers to have participated in the follow-up because they were unavailable for the main survey request. Finally, 27 percent were judged to have been swayed by the incentive and another 13 percent were judged to have participated in the follow-up due to the shorter instrument.
CITATION: Caspar, R. A. (1992). A follow-up study of nonrespondents to the 1990 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. In Proceedings of the 1992 American Statistical Association, Survey Research Section, Boston, MA (pp. 476–481). Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: As of 1992, little was known about the drug use patterns of individuals who were nonrespondents to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). Age, gender, race, and Hispanic origin were known from screening information for individual nonrespondents, but these data provided only minimal guidance in assessing the drug use patterns of individuals who were not directly included in the regular survey estimates. To the extent that nonrespondents differed from respondents in their drug use and to the extent that NHSDA nonresponse adjustment procedures failed to take account of this difference, estimates from the NHSDA were subject to nonresponse bias. The issue of potential nonresponse bias was not a trivial one. The overall interview nonresponse rate in the 1990 NHSDA was 18 percent, with considerably higher rates in many locales. In the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, for example, the nonresponse rate was 27 percent.
METHODS: To assess the impact of such nonresponse, a follow-up study was undertaken of a subset of nonrespondents to the 1990 survey. For logistical reasons, the study was conducted in a single metropolitan area with a relatively high nonresponse rate. By offering nonrespondents a shortened questionnaire and monetary incentive, the authors hoped to persuade as many as possible to participate in the follow-up study. Their aim was to understand the reasons people chose not to participate—or were unavailable to participate in the survey—and to use this information in assessing the extent of the bias, if any, that nonresponse introduced into the 1990 NHSDA estimates.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The results of the follow-up study did not definitively demonstrate either the presence or the absence of a serious nonresponse bias in the 1990 NHSDA. For reasons of cost, the follow-up study was confined to the Washington, DC, metropolitan area, and the results may not have been generalizable to other areas of the country. Similarly, with a response rate of 38 percent, there remained a sizable majority of sample nonrespondents for whom no information was obtained. Anecdotal information from follow-up interviewers suggested that these hard-core nonrespondents may have differed significantly in their drug use behaviors from individuals interviewed as part of either the regular NHSDA or the follow-up study. In terms of demographic characteristics, follow-up respondents appeared to be similar to the original NHSDA respondents. Estimates of drug use for follow-up respondents showed patterns similar to the regular NHSDA respondents. Only one statistically significant difference was found between the two groups—for the composite measure of drug use at any time during their lives.
From both the qualitative and the quantitative data presented here, it would appear that the NHSDA nonrespondents who were interviewed in the follow-up study were quite similar to the respondents interviewed as part of the regular NHSDA data collection. Interviewers working on the follow-up noted that individuals who continued to refuse to participate appeared to have something to hide and to be afraid of answering questions about drugs. Whether this was indicative of higher rates of drug use among hard-core nonrespondents was unknown. Adding the follow-up cases to the regular NHSDA sample made little difference to the NHSDA estimates of drug use prevalence. The authors did not know, however, how convincing these remaining hard-core nonrespondents would affect NHSDA’s estimates. Because the authors could not follow up all nonrespondents, the assessment of nonresponse bias provided by this method was, of necessity, incomplete. Nevertheless, it could indicate the potential impact on NHSDA prevalence estimates of alternative survey procedures (e.g., selective use of monetary incentives) to increase response rates.
CITATION: Cox, B. G., Witt, M. B., Traccarella, M. A., & Perez-Michael, A. M. (1992). Inconsistent reporting of drug use in 1988. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 109–153). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This chapter describes the inconsistencies that occurred in the reporting of drug use in the 1988 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). A methodological study was conducted to locate and measure the faulty data in the 1988 NHSDA; results are summarized in this chapter. The study examined inconsistent responses within and among various sections of the questionnaire used for the 1988 NHSDA.
METHODS: For this analysis, the authors used data taken from a partially edited data file. Many of the inconsistent responses included in the analyses reported in this chapter could be eliminated by logical editing of the data. This methodological analysis was designed to identify those aspects of the survey questionnaire and survey process that caused difficulty for participants. It was determined that these aspects of the survey, in turn, should become primary targets for revision in future administrations of the NHSDA.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The first section of this chapter provides an overall indication of approximately how many respondents made errors, where the errors were made, and the demographic distribution of the respondents who made the errors. Subsequent sections present further details in the inconsistencies in reporting found on the alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine forms, and in reporting concomitant drug use. Findings include the following: (1) A total of 24 percent of those who reported using at least one drug in their lifetime answered at least one question on drug use inconsistently. Among respondents who reported using at least one drug in the past 12 months, 31 percent answered at least one question on drug use inconsistently. (2) Inconsistencies occurred most frequently on the alcohol form, although on a percentage basis, inconsistencies in alcohol reporting occurred at lower rates than for many less frequently used substances. (3) No inconsistencies occurred within the cigarette form, which, unlike other forms, was administered by the interviewer. The same was true for the sedative, tranquilizer, stimulant, and analgesic forms, which provided an option to skip the form if they had never used these drugs. (4) Young respondents, those between the ages of 12 to 17, were less likely to provide inconsistent responses than older respondents.
CITATION: Forsyth, B. H., & Hubbard, M. L. (1992). A method for identifying cognitive properties of survey items. In Proceedings of the 1992 American Statistical Association, Survey Research Methods Section, Boston, MA (pp. 470–475). Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: Question wording can lead to error and bias survey measurement (e.g., Forsyth & Lessler, 1991a; Groves, 1989; Sudman & Bradburn, 1974; Turner & Marlin, 1984). This paper reports on research to develop and test a method for identifying survey items that are difficult for respondents to answer due to their cognitive demands. For example, items may be difficult to answer if the wording is difficult to understand, if response requires detailed memory recall, or if response categories fail to cover the range of respondent experience. The authors’ aim was to design a taxonomy of item characteristics that could be used to identify potentially problematic survey items. The research reported was part of the methodological study of the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). Major goals of the larger research project were to (1) identify potential sources of measurement error in NHSDA, (2) revise survey materials and survey procedures that seem to contribute to avoidable measurement error, and (3) test revisions and identify improved strategies for measuring patterns drug use. This paper focuses on reducing measurement errors that arise from the cognitive processes that respondents use when answering survey items.
METHODS: The appraisal results summarized here were used as one basis for identifying method improvements to test under more formal laboratory and field test conditions. Based in part on these appraisal results, the authors developed three sets of improvements. First, they used laboratory and field test procedures to investigate test decomposition approaches for defining technical terminology and complex reference sets. Second, they used laboratory and field test methods to test procedures for anchoring reference periods. Third, they used field test methods to test experimental questionnaire materials that eliminated hidden questions by using branching instructions and skip patterns.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: As reported in other papers in the 1992 volume, the experimental and field test results suggested that the authors’ appraisal methodology made an important contribution to identifying sources of response inconsistencies, response biases, and response variability. Additional research is necessary before this coding scheme can be used as a general purpose tool for analyzing survey items. The authors have worked to clarify, refine, and trim their coding categories, collapsing some while expanding upon others. In addition, they indicate a need for further research to provide valid tests of the coding scheme once it has been refined. Although further development and testing is necessary, the authors believe that they have begun to develop a cost-effective method for systematizing expert evaluations and for identifying and cataloging critical aspects of questionnaire wording and format.
CITATION: Gfroerer, J. (1992). An overview of the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse and related methodological research. In Proceedings of the 1992 American Statistical Association, Survey Research Methods Section, Boston, MA (pp. 464–469). Alexandria, VA: American Statistical Association.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This paper provides a brief description of the history of the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) and a summary of methodological research carried out prior to 1992.
METHODS: A summary of the methodological research that had been done in conjunction with NHSDA is given.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The results summarized in this paper include the following: (1) A field test conducted in 1990 found lower rates of drug use reporting for an interviewer-administered survey than self-administered surveys, particularly for more recent use. The magnitudes of the differences varied by substance reported (smallest for alcohol, larger for marijuana and even larger for cocaine). Differences in estimates between the interviewer- and self-administered forms were larger for youths than adults. (2) A skip pattern experiment conducted in 1992 found that prevalence rates for marijuana and cocaine were lower in a version that employed skip patterns than the main NHSDA sample (which did not employ skip patterns). (3) A follow-up survey of nonrespondents in the Washington, DC, area for the 1990 NHSDA had a 38 percent response rate. The most frequent reason offered for participating in the follow-up survey was that the respondent was unavailable for the initial survey request. (4) A validation study in which a sample of clients recently discharged from drug treatment facilities were administered the NHSDA interview found higher levels of underreporting on the survey (relative to information from treatment records) for more socially deviant behaviors (e.g., higher levels of underreporting for heroin and cocaine, lower levels of underreporting for marijuana). The study also found very low levels of reporting drug treatment on the interview (only 38 percent). (5) Finally, additional research summarized here found that reporting of drug use by youths is more likely under conditions of complete privacy.
CITATION: Gfroerer, J., & Brodsky, M. (1992). The incidence of illicit drug use in the United States, 1962–1989. British Journal of Addiction, 87(9), 1345–1351. [PubMed: 1392556]
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: As of the early 1990s, epidemiological drug studies over the prior four decades had primarily focused on the prevalence of illicit drug use and not on the incidence of use as well as trends. In this paper, retrospective drug use data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) were used to provide estimates for the number of new drug users each year from 1962 to 1989.
METHODS: Data from 5 years of the NHSDA were combined to yield a total sample size of 58,705 respondents. The variables of interest in the surveys were date of birth, date of interview, and reported age at first use for each drug (heroin, cocaine, marijuana, and hallucinogens), which allowed the researchers to pinpoint an exact date of first drug use for each respondent. The methods and validity of this approach also were evaluated.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that the peak year for new marijuana users was in 1973 and remained roughly stable until about 1980, at which point it started to drop. The average age of new users remained around the late teens since 1962. Patterns for hallucinogen use were similar to marijuana use. Peak estimates for incidence of cocaine use occurred in 1982 and subsequently had seen a dropoff. Retrospective estimates for drug use incidence have some limitations in that they exclude drug users who died before 1985, which could be significant for the estimates prior to 1962. Retrospective reports also are affected by recall bias in that estimates for the early years relied on a recall of over 20 years. However, advantages of the retrospective estimates were that a large sample size was able to provide stability in the estimates.
CITATION: Gfroerer, J. C., Gustin, J., & Turner, C. F. (1992). Introduction. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 3–10). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This is the introduction to a monograph that presents a range of studies assessing the accuracy of alternative methods for survey measurement of drug use. This volume reports the results of a program of methodological research designed to evaluate and improve the accuracy of measurements made in the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), the Nation’s major survey for monitoring drug use. Most of the research reported in this volume began in 1989 and was conducted by a team of scientists from the Research Triangle Institute and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
METHODS: This introductory chapter describes the research components and briefly outlines the origins and purposes of the NHSDA and its methodological research program. The final section of this chapter describes the organization of the volume and the contents of the chapters.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: N/A.
CITATION: Gfroerer, J. C., & Hughes, A. L. (1992). Collecting data on illicit drug use by phone. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 277–295). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This chapter evaluates the feasibility of using telephone surveys to collect data on illicit drug use. It compares estimates on drug use from three data collection efforts, all carried out in 1988: (1) the 1988 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), (2) the Quick Response Survey (QRS), and (3) the 1988 Texas Survey on Substance Use Among Adults.
METHODS: Using data from the 1988 NHSDA, estimates for those in telephone households were compared with those in nontelephone households on lifetime and past year use of marijuana and cocaine in order to examine the effects of noncoverage of nontelephone households in a telephone survey. Estimates on illicit drug use and demographic items from the 1988 NHSDA also were compared with those from QRS, after NHSDA data were reedited for consistency with QRS skip patterns. Finally, estimates from the 1988 NHSDA from Texas were compared with those from the Texas Survey on Substance Use Among Adults. For this analysis, data were restricted to the metropolitan areas of three certainty primary sampling units (PSUs) from NHSDA. NHSDA estimates were combined with those from the QRS and then these in turn were compared with estimates from the Texas survey.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Although some differences were not statistically significant, drug use prevalence among telephone households was generally much lower than that among nontelephone households in NHSDA. Estimates on drug use from QRS were consistently lower than those from NHSDA, even after accounting for differences in sample composition (QRS respondents reported higher levels of income and education than NHSDA respondents). One statistically significant difference was found (among four items examined) between estimates from NHSDA for the combined metropolitan areas in Texas and the Texas survey (for lifetime use of marijuana).
CITATION: Harrison, L., & Gfroerer, J. (1992). The intersection of drug use and criminal behavior: Results from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. Crime and Delinquency, 38(4), 422–443.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between drug use and criminal behavior focusing on the difference between licit and illicit drug use.
METHODS: In 1991, questions about criminal involvement and criminal behavior were added to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). A total of 32,594 respondents completed the NHSDA interview, which contained self-report questions on drug use and criminality. The relationship between drug use and crime was analyzed using cross-tabulations and logistic regression.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The results showed a positive correlation between criminal behavior and higher levels of drug use. Respondents who did not report using drugs or alcohol during the past year had the lowest levels of criminal behavior. After controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, gender, and race, higher drug use still was associated significantly with criminal behavior. The results showed further findings by the type of criminal behavior and other individual-level covariates.
CITATION: Hubbard, M. L., Pantula, J., & Lessler, J. T. (1992). Effects of decomposition of complex concepts. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 245–264). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This chapter reports the results of the authors’ experiment and compares the responses obtained using an alternative measurement strategy with those obtained with the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) in the early 1990s.
METHODS: In the experiment, the authors tested a questionnaire in which complex concepts were decomposed into a number of simpler elements for which more straightforward questions could be formulated.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The evidence with regard to measurements of the nonmedical use of psychotherapeutics indicated that decomposing the NHSDA question on this issue substantially increased the reporting of such use. The results were striking, particularly for painkillers. The estimated prevalence of nonmedical use of painkillers more than doubled when the authors decomposed the concept into constituent parts and asked respondents separate questions about each part. For stimulants and tranquilizers, the differences were not as striking as for painkillers, but they were substantial. The analysis of responses to the identical question using this new questioning strategy suggested that some respondents may have used a personal definition of nonmedical use regardless of the instructions provided on the questionnaire. It became clear to the authors that survey designers cannot rely on respondents to follow instructions to classify usage as medical or nonmedical.
CITATION: Lessler, J. T., & Durante, R. C. (1992, October 7). 1992 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse: Findings of first quarter skip test: Final report (prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Contract No. 271-91-5402, RTI 5071). Research Triangle Park, NC: Research Triangle Institute.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: In 1990, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) conducted a large methodological field test of the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA), primarily to evaluate the effect of using interviewer-administered versus self-administered questionnaires. In this study, some questionnaire answer sheets incorporated skip patterns. It was found that, in general, respondents were able to follow skip patterns that were not too complex, particularly if skips were always to the top of a page. Generally, when errors occurred, they resulted in respondents answering additional questions unnecessarily, so there was no loss of data. However, the design of the field test did not allow a determination of the effect of skip patterns on reporting of drug use.
In an attempt to address this, NIDA conducted an experiment during the first 3 months of 1992 to test a new questionnaire that incorporated skip patterns into the drug use answer sheets. An experimental questionnaire was developed that included a number of skip patterns that allowed respondents to skip out of entire sections of questions if they responded “no” to an initial question on whether they had used a drug. This questionnaire was called the skip version. The regular NHSDA questionnaire was called the nonskip version. Differences between the two questionnaires varied by section in the questionnaire.
METHODS: The Skip Pattern Experiment was embedded in the first quarter 1992 NHSDA sample. One eighth of the first quarter sample was randomly assigned to receive the skip questionnaire, while the other seven eighths received the nonskip version. Assignment of questionnaire versions to sampled dwelling units was done in advance of any contact by field staff. Allocation of the skip version was done within sample segments to maximize the power of statistical comparisons between the two groups. Interviewers were trained to administer both versions of the questionnaire. Overall, the nonskip version was administered to 7,149 respondents, and the skip version was administered to 974 respondents.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Overall, this methodological study indicated that using skip patterns tended to reduce the prevalence of illicit drug use. There also was an indication that the bias due to using skips would not be uniform across different populations, as it seemed to be more pronounced among respondents with more education. It was not possible to conclude whether the lack of privacy or the desire to avoid additional questions was operating. However, it is interesting to note that the skip in the alcohol questions had no apparent impact. This would suggest that the sensitivity of the illicit drug use questions and the loss of privacy in the skip version are most important.
CITATION: Turner, C. F., Lessler, J. T., & Devore, J. W. (1992). Effects of mode of administration and wording on reporting of drug use. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 177–219). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This chapter assesses the impact of question wording and mode of administration on estimates of prevalence of drug use from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).
METHODS: The authors describe the design of the methodological field test conducted in 1990 and review estimates of the prevalence of self-reported drug use obtained by the different questionnaire versions used in this field test.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Although the results were not always consistent for every substance examined, on balance, the results indicate that having interviewers administer the questionnaire reduces the reporting of drug use. This conclusion is supported by the finding that lack of privacy during an interview had a negative effect on the reporting of drug use, particularly for respondents 12 to 17 years of age for whom a parent is likely to be present. The authors’ finding that self-administered forms yield more reports of drug use does not appear to be due to a greater number of marking errors.
CITATION: Turner, C. F., Lessler, J. T., George, B. J., Hubbard, M. L., & Witt, M. B. (1992). Effects of mode of administration and wording on data quality. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 221–243). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: In this 1992 chapter, the authors review the impact of various factors on the completeness and consistency of the reporting of drug use on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).
METHODS: The authors summarize findings of their investigations of selected aspects of the quality of the data produced by the different versions of the survey questionnaire and the different modes of administration used in a 1990 NHSDA field test. The authors consider the rates of nonresponse, the extent to which respondents and interviewers correctly executed the branching instructions embedded in the questionnaires, and the internal consistency of the reports of drug use given by respondents.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The results of the authors’ analyses provide the key ingredients for conclusions concerning the relative quality of the data provided by the different versions of the survey evaluated in the 1990 NHSDA field test. Respondents were, in general, capable of responding to a self-administered form, even when that form included many branching or skip instructions. The changes made to the NHSDA questionnaire generally improved respondent understanding of the questions and thereby improved the quality of the data collected.
CITATION: Turner, C. F., Lessler, J. T., & Gfroerer, J. C. (Eds.). (1992). Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This 1992 volume presents a range of studies assessing the accuracy of alternative methods for the survey measurement of drug use. It contains demonstrations of the liability of such measurements in response to variation in the measurement procedures that are employed. The editors urge that these demonstrations should not be taken as an indictment of the use of surveys to measure drug use. The data obtained from a measurement process are properly seen to be a joint function of the phenomenon under study and the protocol used to make the measurement. This joint parentage is reflected in the frequent practice of reporting such measurements by reference to both the measurement outcome and the protocol used in the measurement.
METHODS: The volume is divided into six parts, the first of which is the introduction. Part II contains two chapters that present the results of cognitive research on the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA) questionnaire. Part III comprises three chapters that analyze different aspects of past NHSDAs to identify problems. Part IV reports the results of a large-scale field experiment that tested the new version of the NHSDA questionnaire. Part V presents the results of two studies that complement the field experiment. Part VI is the single concluding chapter that summarizes major findings.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The various chapters in this volume demonstrate the appropriateness of such practices in the reporting and use of survey measurements of drug use. The authors offer a wide-ranging view of the impact of measurement procedures on survey measurements of drug use, and they introduce new techniques for diagnosing problems with survey questionnaires and for designing improved ones.
CITATION: Witt, M. B., Pantula, J., Folsom, R. E., & Cox, B. G. (1992). Item nonresponse in 1988. In C. F. Turner, J. T. Lessler, & J. C. Gfroerer (Eds.), Survey measurement of drug use: Methodological studies (HHS Publication No. ADM 92-1929, pp. 85–108). Rockville, MD: National Institute on Drug Abuse.
PURPOSE/OVERVIEW: This chapter examines the patterns of missing data in the 1988 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The quality of a survey instrument may be gauged in part by the completeness and internal consistency of the data it produces. Survey instruments that produce more and more consistent measurements are preferable. Evidence of incomplete or inconsistent responses to a survey can be used to identify the aspects of a survey that are in need of remediation. Respondents’ failure to answer questions may, for example, reflect their misunderstanding of the survey instructions or bafflement with a particular question.
METHODS: The authors assessed the levels and patterns of nonresponse to questions in the 1988 NHSDA. The nonresponse was not strongly concentrated on any one form, nor focused on any one type of question. Nevertheless, a few general statements were made about the nonresponse. A disproportionately large number of respondents were people who never used the drug that was discussed on the form. A great deal of nonresponse resulted from those questions that asked about an individual’s concomitant drug use and those questions that asked the age at which a respondent first took a particular drug.
RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: The authors concluded that the high rate of nonresponse to questions regarding age occurred because people had a hard time recalling what had happened in the past. The substantial nonresponse on concomitant drug use may be due to the question’s sensitivity.
All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA. Citation of the source is appreciated. However, this publication may not be reproduced or distributed for a fee without the specific, written authorization of the Office of Communications, SAMHSA, HHS.
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