Reliability of drug users' self-reported hiv risk behaviors and validity of self-reported recent drug use

Seana Dowling-Guyer, Mark E. Johnson, Dennis G. Fisher, Richard Needle, John Watters, Marcia Andersen, Mark Williams, Lynne Kotranski, Robert Booth, Fen Rhodes, Norman Weatherby, Antonio L. Estrada, David Fleming, Sherry Deren, Stephanie Tortu

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study examined the reliability and validity of the Risk Behavior Assessment, a structured interview questionnaire designed to evaluate drug use and sexual HIV risk behaviors. Participants were 218 drug users currently not in treatment who completed the RBA two times over a 48-hour period and gave urine samples on both occasions. We examined internal consistency and test-retest reliability and found that, overall, drug users reliably report drug use and sexual behavior, although the reliability of reports of specific needle practice and sexual behavior items was somewhat lower. Validity results indicated that drug users' accurately report use of cocaine and opiates. These findings indicate that this self-report questionnaire, when administered by trained interviewers, reliably measures HIV risk behaviors in a drug-using population and provides a valid assessment of recent drug use.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)383-392
Number of pages10
JournalAssessment
Volume1
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1994

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Applied Psychology

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