Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2018 Aug 24;53(10):1742-1755.
doi: 10.1080/10826084.2018.1432649. Epub 2018 Feb 20.

Correlates of Validity of Self-Reported Methamphetamine Use among a Sample of Dependent Adults

Christopher Rowe  1 , Eric Vittinghoff  2 , Grant Colfax  3 , Phillip O Coffin  1   4 , Glenn-Milo Santos  1   5
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Correlates of Validity of Self-Reported Methamphetamine Use among a Sample of Dependent Adults

Christopher Rowe et al. Subst Use Misuse. .

Abstract

Background: Self-reported data are widely used in substance-use research, yet few studies have assessed the validity of self-reported methamphetamine use compared to biological assays.

Objectives: We sought to assess the validity and correlates of validity of self-reported methamphetamine use compared to urine toxicology (UTOX).

Methods: Using a sample of methamphetamine-dependent individuals enrolled in a randomized controlled pharmacotherapy trial in the United States (n = 327 visits among 90 participants), we calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and the kappa coefficient of self-reported methamphetamine use in the past 3 days compared to UTOX, as well as the NPV of self-reported methamphetamine use over an extended recall period of 1 month. We used multivariable logistic regression models to assess correlates of concordance between self-reported methamphetamine use and UTOX.

Results: The sensitivity of self-reported methamphetamine use in the past 3 days was 86.7% (95% confidence intervals (95%CI): 81.4%-91.4%), the specificity was 85.3% (77.7-91.3), the PPV was 91.5% (86.9-94.8), and the NPV was 78.0% (69.4-86.1), compared to UTOX (kappa = 0.71). The NPV over the extended recall period was 70.6% (48.0-85.7). In multivariable analyses, validity of self-reported methamphetamine use was higher for older participants but lower during follow-up compared to baseline and when polysubstance use or depressive symptoms were reported. Conclusions/Importance: Our sample of methamphetamine-dependent adults reported recent methamphetamine use with high validity compared to UTOX. Validity increased with age but decreased when participants reported depressive symptoms or polysubstance use as well as later in the study timeline and during longer recall periods.

Keywords: Methamphetamine; self-report; substance-use research; urine toxicology; validity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

References

    1. Akinci IH, Tarter RE, & Kirisci L (2001). Concordance between verbal report and urine screen of recent marijuana use in adolescents. Addict Behav, 26(4), 613–619. - PubMed
    1. Brown J, Kranzler HR, & Del Boca FK (1992). Self-reports by alcohol and drug abuse inpatients: factors affecting reliability and validity. Br J Addict, 87(7), 1013–1024. - PubMed
    1. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2011). 2010 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Rockville, MD.: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration.
    1. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality. (2015). 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Rockville, MD.: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration.
    1. Center for Behavioral Health Statistics and Quality; (2016). 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed Tables. Rockville, MD.: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration.

Publication types

Substances