Ecological Momentary Assessment

This chapter addresses application of ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to substance use research, outlining principles of EMA design and analysis, and illustrates them with examples. It considers the way technological innovations are facilitating the rapid evolution of EMA systems, and provides recommendations on current best practices. The chapter reviews data on methodological issues such as compliance and reactivity. EMA sampling design focuses on the way assessments of individual- and systems-level processes are distributed over time and space. EMA methods reveal substance use patterns not captured by questionnaires or retrospective data, and hold great promise for substance use research and treatment. As EMA methods are further developed and broadly applied, they offer even more detailed insight into substance use and abuse. Further, application of EMA approaches to on-the-spot intervention with substance users holds potential to revolutionize treatment delivery. This edition first published 2013