Abstract
The reliability of alcohol abusers' retrospective self-reports was evaluated using a time-line follow-back interview technique. Independent groups of male subjects were interviewed in three different treatment settings (outpatient,n=12; inpatient,n=12; residential,n=12) on two separate occasions to assess the test-retest reliability of their self-reports of daily drinking and related events occurring 1 year prior to treatment. Correlational and scatterplot analyses generally showed a high correlation and low discrepancy between the two sets of interview responses for all groups. However, since some population differences were found in the reliability of reports for some variables, further research is needed to delineate the conditions under which reliable and valid retrospective self-reports can be obtained from different populations of alcohol abusers.
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This research was supported, in part, by Grant No. AA07072 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to Vanderbilt University.
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Maisto, S.A., Sobell, M.B., Cooper, A.M. et al. Test-retest reliability of retrospective self-reports in three populations of alcohol abusers. Journal of Behavioral Assessment 1, 315–326 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01321373
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01321373