Reliability of self-reported age of first drug use: analysis of New York City narcotics register data.
New York City Narcotics Register data were analyzed to determine the consistency of self-reported age of first drug use among multiple reports on a single individual. There were 15,263 individuals with two or more reports between January 1973 and April 1974 which specified age of first drug use. Discrepancies were noted in 68% of cases; in 31% the responses differed by 3 or more years. Even among reports from a single agency, there were discrepancies in 45% of cases. The degree of consistency was only slightly better when the analysis was restricted to subjects 20 years of age and younger. No comparable inconsistency was observed with respect to self-reported year of birth.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009519:New York City; D012042:Registries; D012649:Self Concept; D012650:Self Disclosure; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013997:Time Factors