title: Panel attrition and external validity in adolescent substance use research.
abstract: Panel attrition threatens external validity in adolescent substance use research. A 7-year adolescent panel was examined to determine whether attrition effects varied by (a) type of substance assessed and (b) method of measurement and type of statistical analysis. Chi-squares and multivariate analyses of variance revealed that study dropouts were more likely to use substances and reported higher mean use of substances at baseline than stayers; attrition effects varied by substance; and mean use comparisons were more likely to detect attrition effects than use-nonuse comparisons. Implications of these findings for adolescent substance use research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06511.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Tebes
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Arthur
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009511:New England / Q000453:epidemiology; D010352:Patient Dropouts / Q000523:psychology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation