Inconsistencies over time in young adolescents' self-reports of substance use and sexual intercourse.
When surveyed twice within a 6-month period, to what extent do young adolescents give inconsistent answers to questions about sexual behavior and substance use (cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, inhalants, cocaine)? Data were collected from 1,575 urban African American and Hispanic students during fall and spring of 7th grade. For each behavior examined, less than 2% of the sample gave inconsistent answers within a survey and less than 7.5% did so over time. Retraction of baseline answers at follow-up was greater for rarer and more socially undesirable behaviors (e.g., cocaine versus cigarette use). Over-time inconsistencies were associated with lower reading comprehension and an overall reduction in risk behaviors at follow-up.
Stueve
A
A
Division of Epidemiology, The Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. cas11@columbia.edu
O'Donnell
L
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D003075:Coitus / Q000523:psychology*; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009518:New York / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012574:Schools / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015983:Selection Bias; D012650:Self Disclosure; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors