LONG-TERM RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF ALCOHOLISM DIAGNOSES AND SYMPTOMS IN A LARGE NATIONAL TELEPHONE INTERVIEW SURVEY

The long-term reliability and validity of telephone lay interview asse ssments of alcoholism were examined in the context of a large national community-based survey of over 8,000 male Vietnam era veterans, A sub sample of 146 men was interviewed twice by telephone using the,same st ructured interview an average of 15 months apart to evaluate the long- term reliability of alcoholism symptoms and diagnoses. In addition, a search of Department of Veterans Affairs patient treatment files of in patient hospitalizations between 1970 and 1993 yielded a subsample of 89 interviewed men with a past discharge diagnosis of alcohol dependen ce. The test-retest reliability of alcohol abuse and alcohol dependenc e diagnoses was good, with kappa coefficients of 0.74 and 0.61, respec tively. The reliability of individual alcoholism symptoms was fair to good, with kappas of 0.46 to 0.67. Ninety-six percent of individuals i dentified by Department of Veterans Affairs patient treatment files as having an alcohol dependence diagnosis were correctly diagnosed by th e telephone interview, The results of the present study provide additi onal evidence for the long-term reliability and validity of lifetime a lcoholism diagnoses, and suggest that the reliability and validity of telephone interview assessments of alcoholism are as good as that of a n in-person interview, Telephone administration of structured psychiat ric interviews appears to be an attractive alternative to in-person in terviewing for gathering information about alcoholism and alcohol-rela ted problems.