There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.
Abstract
The use of behavioural self-reports of drug users is widespread among studies of illicit
drug use. Despite widespread use, concerns about the accuracy of these reports continue
to be raised. The current paper critically reviews the literature on the reliability
and validity of self-reported drug use, criminality and HIV risk-taking among injecting
drug users. The literature shows respectable reliability and validity of self-reported
behaviours when compared to biomarkers, criminal records and collateral interviews.
It concludes that the self-reports of drug users are sufficiently reliable and valid
to provide descriptions of drug use, drug-related problems and the natural history
of drug use.