Consistency in Self-Reports of Drug Use Frequency by High-Risk Offenders Over a 5-Year Interval. (December 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Prendergast, Michael; Li, Libo; Evans, Elizabeth; Hall, Elizabeth
• Is Part Of: Prison journal. Volume 93:Number 4(2013)
• Page Start: 375
• Page End: 389
• Publication Date: 2013-12
• Subjects: illicit drug use -- retrospective self-report -- longitudinal patterns -- reliability; Prisons -- Periodicals; Prisons -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 365.6
• DOI: 10.1177/0032885513500616
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0032-8855

Abstract

Self-reports of drug use by high-risk offenders interviewed on two occasions were compared to determine the extent to which the reports were consistent at the two interview points. Self-reports of frequency of drug use over the same 12-month period were compared among parolees ( N = 380) who had participated in prison drug treatment and who were interviewed at 1 and 5 years following prison release. The kappa coefficient was .31 ( p < .001), generally considered a fair level of agreement. Total concordance in retrospective recall of primary drug use frequency was 54.5%.