HIV Risk Behavior Self-Report Reliability at Different Recall Periods

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Abstract

Few studies have investigated the optimal length of recall period for self-report of sex and drug-use behaviors. This meta-analysis of 28 studies examined the test-retest reliability of three commonly used recall periods: 1, 3, and 6 months. All three recall periods demonstrated acceptable test-retest reliability, with the exception of recall of needle sharing behaviors and 6-months recall of some sex behaviors. For most sex behaviors, a recall period of 3 months was found to produce the most reliable data; however, 6 months was best for recalling number of sex partners. Overall, shorter periods were found to be more reliable for recall of drug-use behaviors, though the most reliable length of recall period varied for different types of drugs. Implications of the findings and future directions for research are discussed.

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Self-report among injecting drug users: a review.

Shane Darke (1998)

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.

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Assessment of factors affecting the validity of self-reported health-risk behavior among adolescents: evidence from the scientific literature.

Nancy D. Brener, John Billy, William Grady (2003)

We reviewed the existing empirical literature to assess cognitive and situational factors that may affect the validity of adolescents' self-reports of alcohol and other drug use, tobacco use, behaviors related to unintentional injuries and violence, dietary behaviors, physical activity, and sexual behavior. Specifically, we searched for peer-reviewed journal articles published in 1980 or later that examined the factors affecting self-report of the six categories of behavior listed above. We also searched for studies describing objective measures for each behavior. Self-reports of each of six types of health-risk behaviors are affected by both cognitive and situational factors. These factors, however, do not threaten the validity of self-reports of each type of behavior equally. The importance of assessing health-risk behaviors as part of research activities involving adolescents necessitates the use of self-report measures. Researchers should familiarize themselves with the threats to validity inherent in this type of assessment and design research that minimizes these threats as much as possible.

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The timeline followback reports of psychoactive substance use by drug-abusing patients: psychometric properties.

William Fals-Stewart, Timothy J. O'Farrell, Timothy T. Freitas … (2000)

The Timeline Followback (TLFB; L. C. Sobell & M. B. Sobell, 1996) interview, which uses a calendar method developed to evaluate daily patterns and frequency of drinking behavior over a specified time period, has well-established reliability and validity for assessing alcohol consumption. Although several investigators have used the TLFB to evaluate drug-using behavior, few studies have examined the psychometric properties of the interview for this purpose. The authors conducted TLFB interviews with a sample of adult drug-abusing patients seeking treatment for substance abuse (n = 113) at baseline, posttreatment, and quarterly thereafter for 12 months. It was found that the patients' reports about their drug consumption using this method generally had high (a) retest reliability, (b) convergent and discriminant validity with other measures, (c) agreement with collateral informants' reports of patients' substance use, and (d) agreement with results from patients' urine assays.