Multiwave analysis of retest artifact in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth drug use

We examined follow-up data from surveys in 1988, 1992 and 1994 in order to estimate the prevalence and explore the correlates of retest artifact (deni al) of drug use among National Longitudinal Survey of Youth respondents who disclosed lifetime cocaine or marijuana use in 1984. In the cocaine use co hort, 42% denied lifetime cocaine use during at least one follow-up wave. I n the marijuana use cohort, about 29% denied lifetime marijuana use during at least one follow-up wave. Denial either leveled off (cocaine) or diminis hed (marijuana) between the second and third follow-up interviews. The most consistent predictors of denial in both longitudinal and cross-sectional m odels and across substances were race/ethnicity (black informants had incre ased rates of denial) and marital status (married respondents had increased rates of denial). Other predictors of denial included interviewer characte ristics (social attribution), interview mode, and drug salience. The findin gs with respect to marijuana reporting trends parallel increased willingnes s of public officials to retrospectively disclose this behavior in the popu lar press. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.