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Objective: Anecdotal evidence suggests that the term "pollster" has, in recent years, become stigmatized in the United States. We explore this and a subsequent question as to whether negative perceptions of pollsters affect people's perceived trustworthiness of survey findings. Methods: Survey experiments were administered to national probability‐based samples after the 2016 and 2020 elections. Results: In each study, pollsters obtained significantly more negative ratings when compared to "survey researchers" and "public opinion researchers," suggesting that the general public views pollsters, who are more likely to be viewed as partisan, as being less honest/ethical. In line with social identity theory, interaction models revealed that those rating pollster critic Donald Trump most favorably had the most negative ratings of pollsters and public opinion researchers, compared to survey researchers. Yet, the vignette experiment showed that negative perceptions of pollsters did not affect the perceived trustworthiness of survey result reports. Conclusions: We conclude that while there appears to be a stigmatization of pollsters, those negative perceptions do not translate into less trust in the findings of public opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite multiple years of government HIV educational efforts, the growing trend of new cases among women in Indonesia runs parallel with their seemingly overall lack of comprehensive knowledge about HIV. A major prevention challenge for the Indonesian government lies in delivering HIV prevention education across the world's largest archipelago. This study investigates comprehensive HIV knowledge among reproductive-age women in Southwest Sumba, Indonesia, and the sources through which they report having learned about HIV along with potential mediators of the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and HIV knowledge. Methods: This cross-sectional study using convenience sampling recruited 159 married women ages 15–49 years old living in 4 selected church parishes in Southwest Sumba on March 12–20, 2023. The HIV Knowledge Questionnaire-18 and items from the 2017 Indonesian Demographic and Health Survey (24 total) measured the women's comprehensive knowledge about HIV. Additional items asked about sources through which the women had received information about HIV. One-way ANOVA examined differences in the level of HIV knowledge obtained through one or more information sources (healthcare providers, media, schools, and social network members). Mediation analysis investigated potential mediators of the relationship between SES and HIV knowledge. Results: Comprehensive HIV knowledge scores ranged from 0 to 21 (mean = 10.6). About 65% of the 159 women could only correctly answer 50% or less of the questions. Most incorrect answers pertained either to Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (MTCT) or misconceptions about the virus. One-way ANOVA revealed that the mean of HIV knowledge increased as the number of informational sources increased (p <.001). Structural Equation Modelling found that social network members, healthcare providers, and the media all had significant direct effects on HIV knowledge. In addition, an indirect positive relationship between SES and comprehensive HIV knowledge was mediated by information obtained through the media and marginally through healthcare providers. Conclusions: The study's results suggest that more extensive in-depth HIV education is greatly needed to help prevent transmission among women living in small and outlying islands in Indonesia. Wider promotion of HIV information through the media and more intensively through local healthcare providers appears a promising and likely effective means to reach these women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The twenty-first century has seen an important transition in survey modes used for electoral polls. This transition has not ended yet. It is thus possible to examine differences between modes used in the same election. Different modes are more or less prone to social desirability and use different sampling frames and recruitment strategies that may lead to differences in estimation. However, available literature does not show systematic and substantial differences between modes. In this article, we examine differences between modes across 15 elections and referendums that took place since 2005 in four countries: Canada, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. We first assess differences in average estimates, variance, trends, and forecasts. We then pool the data to analyze whether there are differences that apply in all contexts. We conclude that differences between modes vary with context and over time. There are some consistent differences, however, as online polls are less likely to detect movement than are telephone or IVR polls. In a context in which online polls are becoming dominant, citizens may not be provided with a reliable portrait of the state of public opinion. IVR polls tended to be more precise than other polls recently, but they also tended to have a conservative bias. For the future, it will be important to monitor closely new developments in the methodology used for election polls. The presence of multiple modes in pre-election polling and new developments in mixed modes would be beneficial to voters and researchers alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Individuals in transitional housing programs often have a goal of reaching stable employment, but the unique needs and barriers for achieving this warrants further study. Methods: A structured interview guide was administered orally and descriptive data analysis was done for this exploratory mixed-methods study. Results: Commonly reported reemployment challenges included legal barriers and unmet transportation, housing, and financial needs. More than two-thirds of residents reported no place to live after the program regardless of if they had previous precarious housing. Emerging themes included challenges regarding sufficient time for the transition to being employed, fear of relapse, and lack of long-term goals and planning. Conclusions: Findings suggest that residential rehabilitation programs are an important resource. While these programs tend to focus on reemployment, their services could be enhanced by assessing individual needs and allowing for variation in reemployment preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research indicates that Latino survey respondents are more likely to acquiesce than non-Latino European Americans (EAs), thereby decreasing the potential for measurement invariance across cultural groups. To better understand what drives this culturally patterned response style, we examined the influence of respondent and interviewer characteristics on acquiescence. Data were obtained from a telephone survey of 400 Mexican American, Puerto Rican, Cuban American, and non-Latino EA respondents, and a self-administered survey of 21 interviewers. Higher acquiescence was associated with several respondent characteristics: older age, lower education, stronger Latino cultural orientation, Spanish use, Latino ethnicity, and, among Latinos, Cuban American ethnicity. In contrast, acquiescence was not influenced by respondent–interviewer social distance, social deference, or interviewer characteristics (e.g., education, gender, acculturation, interviewer experience). These findings indicate that acquiescence differs across Latino ethnic subgroups and that respondent and language factors are more influential determinants of acquiescence than survey interviewers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the author's presidential address speech which was delivered at the 73rd Annual Conference of the American Association for Public Opinion Research in Denver, Colorado on May 17, 2018, and it mentions changes involving public opinion research over the years. The deligitimation of survey research is addressed, along with declining response rates for surveys and the claim that many Americans do not trust public opinion researchers.

This study examines the effects of legislatively mandated changes in terminology for National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) questions on proxy and self-reports of an important condition. Specifically, we examine changes from the use of the term "mental retardation" to "intellectual disability" that were mandated by what is now known as "Rosa's Law," an act signed by President Obama in October 2010. Our analyses focus on changes in national prevalence of measures of intellectual disability during the period 2011–2016, compared to 1997–2010, for the population as a whole and for demographic subgroups. Findings show that the change in question wording implemented in the NHIS after Rosa's Law produced a small, albeit statistically significant, increase in reporting of intellectual disabilities for adults and for children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative to ductile anchors, nonductile anchors have long been subject to increased design safety margins in U.S. building codes for nonstructural building components. Historically, a safety factor was applied at the end of the calculation process, effectively modifying all elements within a given load case. This factor's most recent implementations in the building codes narrowed its application to the horizontal earthquake component of the seismic load cases, taking the form of the overstrength factor, Ω0, as a demand multiplier for nonductile anchor performance. From a rational combination of empirical observation and precedent, Ω0 was set to 2.5, but minimal experimental or analytical evidence exists to support this value. A research project was thus initiated with funding from Hilti Corporation at San Diego State University to study the overstrength approach through a combination of dynamic structural testing and nonlinear time-history analyses of an idealized nonstructural component with various anchor behaviors. The latter is presented in this paper, which made use of a customized analysis tool that allowed for rapid evaluation of unidirectional earthquake response for a wide range of component and anchor characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article announces the American Association for Public Opinion Research's (AAPOR) 2023 Award for Exceptionally Distinguished Achievement presented to Timothy P. Johnson.

Objectives:Our two study objectives were: (1) to understand the relationship between the perception of a previous negative health-care experience and race/ethnicity, and how socio-demographic, access-to-health-care, and self-reported health variables modified this relationship; and (2) to assess how many behaviors participants reported changing as a result of experiencing a perceived negative health-care experience, which behaviors they changed, and if there were differences in patterns of change across racial/ethnic groups. Design:We conducted a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of 600 African-American, Mexican-Hispanic, and white adults in socioeconomically diverse neighborhoods in Chicago, IL. We used multivariable logistic regression to analyze the relationship between a perceived negative health-care experience in the last 5 years and race/ethnicity. We summed and then calculated the percentage of people who changed each of the 10 behaviors and evaluated whether or not there were differences in behavior change across racial/ethnic groups. Principal findings:More than 32% of participants reported a perceived negative health-care experience in the past 5 years. Participants who had a bachelor’s degree or above (OR: 2.95, 95%CI: 1.01–8.63), avoided needed care due to cost (OR: 1.84, 95%CI: 1.11–3.06), or who reported fair/poor health (OR: 3.58, 95%CI: 1.66–7.80) had significantly increased odds of reporting a negative health-care experience. Of these people, 88% reported ‘sometimes/always’ changing at least one health-seeking behavior. There were no racial/ethnic differences in reporting negative experiences or in patterns of behavior change. Conclusions:Race/ethnicity was not related to reporting a perceived negative health-care experience or reported patterns of behavior change in response to that experience. However, those who avoided care due to cost were more highly educated, or who indicated poorer health status reported having a negative experience more often. Our findings suggest that the perception of a previous negative experience may influence subsequent health-care-seeking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

United States (US) immigration policies have increasingly focused on national security resulting in universities experiencing declines in international student applications, constraints on international scholar employment, and complications facilitating international research collaborations. The COVID-19 pandemic brought additional travel restrictions, embassy closures, and health and safety concerns that exacerbated these challenges. Science mobility is critical for science education, training, competitiveness, and innovation. Using a representative sample of US and foreign-born scientists in three STEM fields, we explore how recent visa and immigration policies have shaped research collaborations, work with students and postdoctoral scholars, and intentions to leave. We use descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, and logistic regression and find academic scientists report disruptions from visa and immigration policies; negative impacts of immigration policies on US higher education; negative effects on recruitment and retention of international trainees; and increased intentions to leave the US driven by negative perceptions of immigration policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article informs that most library science survey use Likert-style questions. It discloses that the Likert format is a five point set of Likert response that contains a middle point balanced by positive and negative options on either side, that the style can be adapted to assess many aspects of attitudes and opinions, and that the middle of a 5-point scale (usually the neutral scale) is often problematic because many respondents as well as researchers are uncertain on what it means.

This article reviews unfinished business regarding the assessment of substance use behaviors by using survey research methodologies, a practice that dates back to the earliest years of this journal's publication. Six classes of unfinished business are considered including errors of sampling, coverage, non-response, measurement, processing, and ethics. It may be that there is more now that we do not know than when this work began some 50 years ago. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cross-cultural variability in respondent processing of survey questions may bias results from multiethnic samples. We analyzed behavior codes, which identify difficulties in the interactions of respondents and interviewers, from a discrimination module contained within a field test of the 2007 California Health Interview Survey. In all, 553 (English) telephone interviews yielded 13,999 interactions involving 22 items. Multilevel logistic regression modeling revealed that respondent age and several item characteristics (response format, customized questions, length, and first item with new response format), but not race/ethnicity, were associated with interactional problems. These findings suggest that item function within a multi-cultural, albeit English language, survey may be largely influenced by question features, as opposed to respondent characteristics such as race/ethnicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population-based estimates of substance use patterns have been regularly reported now for several decades. Concerns with the quality of the survey methodologies employed to produce those estimates date back almost as far. Those concerns have led to a considerable body of research specifically focused on understanding the nature and consequences of survey-based errors in substance use epidemiology. This paper reviews and summarizes that empirical research by organizing it within a total survey error model framework that considers multiple types of representation and measurement errors. Gaps in our knowledge of error sources in substance use surveys and areas needing future research are also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researching female sex workers (FSWs) in Indonesia, where commercial sex tends to be hidden or undercover, is challenging but possible. This is even more challenging when it involves investigation of sensitive behaviors, such as their alcohol use, a known disinhibitor to risk behavior. The adoption of effective strategies is needed to increase response rates and improve data quality. This article describes procedures used to research FSWs' alcohol use during commercial sex in the Eastern part of Indonesia. Challenges, lessons learned, and recommendations for best practices are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SOME SURVEY RESEARCH HAS DOCUmented distress in respondents with pre-existing emotional vulnerabilities, suggesting the possibility of harm. In this study, respondents were interviewed about a personally distressing event; mood, stress, and emotional reactions were assessed. Two days later, respondents participated in interventions to either enhance or alleviate the effects of the initial interview. Results indicated that distressing interviews increased stress and negative mood, although no adverse events occurred. Between the interviews, moods returned to baseline. Respondents who again discussed a distressing event reported moods more negative than those who discussed a neutral or a positive event. This study provides evidence that, among nonvulnerable survey respondents, interviews on distressing topics can result in negative moods and stress, but they do not harm respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surveys involving health care providers are characterized by low and declining response rates (RRs), and researchers have utilized various strategies to increase survey RRs among health professionals. Based on 48 studies with 156 subgroups of within-study conditions, a multilevel meta-regression analysis was conducted to summarize the effects of different strategies employed in surveys of health professionals. An estimated overall survey RR among health professionals was 0.53 with a significant downward trend during the last half century. Of the variables that were examined, mode of data collection, incentives, and number of follow-up attempts were all found to be significandy related to RR. The mail survey mode was more effective in improving RR, compared to the online or web survey mode. Relative to the non-incentive subgroups, subgroups receiving monetary incentives were more likely to respond, while nonmonetary incentive groups were not significandy different from non-incentive groups. When number of follow-ups was considered, the one or two attempts of follow-up were found to be effective in increasing survey RR among health professionals. Having noted challenges associated with surveying health professionals, researchers must make every effort to improve access to their target population by implementing appropriate incentive- and design-based strategies demonstrated to improve participation rates [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including evidence-based and patient-centered health care, medical errors and the web surveys of clinicians.

Objective: Sexual-minority women are at heightened risk for a number of mental health problems, including hazardous alcohol consumption, depression, and anxiety. We examined self-medication and impaired-functioning models of the associations among these variables and interpreted results within a life course framework that considered the unique social stressors experienced by sexual-minority women. Method: Data were from a sample of 384 women interviewed during the first two waves of the Chicago Health and Life Experiences of Women (CHLEW) study. Results: Covariance structure modeling revealed that (a) consistent with a self-medication process, anxiety was prospectively associated with hazardous drinking and (b) consistent with an impaired-functioning process, hazardous drinking was prospectively associated with depression. Conclusions: Our findings support a life course perspective that interprets the mental health of adult sexual-minority women as influenced by adverse childhood experiences, age at drinking onset, first heterosexual intercourse, and first sexual identity disclosure, as well as by processes associated with self-medication and impaired functioning during adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study focuses on three dimensions of treatment neighborhood environments that may influence treatment retention: neighborhood disadvantage, stability, and concentrated immigration. We examined treatment outcomes for a total of 9,319 individuals who were admitted for initial treatment in 56 outpatient clinics in Cook County, Illinois. Census-tract-level data were used to measure facility neighborhood environment. We found that neighborhood disadvantage was unrelated to individual treatment completion. Immigrant concentration was found to increase the likelihood of substance abuse treatment completion, although it was attenuated after controlling for patient problem severity and referral sources. Neighborhood stability was found to be positively related to treatment completion. These results suggest that knowledge of neighborhood context should be an important consideration when making placement decisions of new treatment facilities. Knowledge of neighborhood impact on treatment attrition should also be considered essential information to be used for client placement, treatment program design, and discharge protocols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews some of the potential sources of failure in surveys concerned with substance use. These failures are both conceptual and methodological in nature. Conceptual failures include nonuse and misuse of survey data, the inability of these data to detect emerging substance use trends and problems, and relevant ethical concerns. Methodological failures include sampling, coverage, nonresponse, and measurement and processing errors, which are indigenous at some level to all epidemiologic surveys. Consideration of these is necessary if survey data are to be appropriately used for their intended purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web surveys are being increasingly incorporated into national survey data collection programs in the United States because of their cost/time-efficiencies. Yet, response rates and data quality issues in web surveys remain important challenges. As a basic study designed to better understand data quality in a mixed mode national survey, this article investigates the degree to which web versus mail survey modes affect unit and item responses. Findings indicate that the web survey mode produces a lower unit response rate compared to the mail mode. However, the web mode elicits higher data quality in terms of item responses to both closed- and open-ended questions. These mode effects on data quality remain after sociodemographic variables are held constant. Given the increasing integration of web survey questionnaires into mixed mode studies, additional research is necessary to understand and document the processes that underlie mode differences when responding to self-administered surveys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To provide desired stiffness and strength in torsion, bridge superstructures are often constructed with a cross-section consisting of multiple cells which have thin walls relative to their overall dimensions and resist Saint–Venant torsion through shear flow (force per unit length) that develops around the cell walls. For a single thin-walled cell subject to torsion, shear flow is constant along each of its walls while shear stresses vary around the section based upon changes in wall thickness. When the cross-section contains multiple cells they all contribute resistance to applied torsion and for elastic continuity each cell must twist the same amount. With these considerations, equilibrium and compatibility conditions allow simultaneous equations to be formed and solved to determine the shear flow for each cell. A second approach is a relaxation method that distributes incremental shear flows back and forth between cells, reducing errors with each distribution cycle, until the final shear flows for all cells approximate the correct values. A major advantage to this method is that it does not require setting up and solving simultaneous equations, favoring situations where hand calculation is desired. In this paper, a closed-form approach is introduced to determine, exactly, both the torsional constant and all shear flows for multi-cell cross-sections under torsion; no simultaneous equations are required and there is no need to distribute shear flows back and forth between cells. Simple closed-form equations are derived which give shear flows for cross-sections with any number of cells of arbitrary shape. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Shear deformations can affect final member-end-moments for statically indeterminate continuous beams and frame structures, though for typical civil engineering structures their effect is small and moments can be based on flexural deformations only. When a member is deep relative to span length, however, shear deformations should be considered in the analysis. This can be included in the stiffness method and in a modified form of moment distribution where the carry-over factor is less than one-half due to the added flexibility from shear. In a prior paper the first author presented a new approach for solving statically indeterminate beams and bridge frames, with final end moments given in closed-form expressions. The advantages of this new approach are that no simultaneous equations are required as in the stiffness method, moments are not distributed back and forth as in moment distribution, and manual calculations may be used which give exact results for as many spans as desired. While only flexural deformations were considered in the original paper, this paper presents a closed-form approach that has been modified to include shear deformations. Final expressions are given for continuous beams and bridge frames, providing exact member-end-moments that match results from the stiffness method when shear deformations are included in the analysis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

While surveys of nurses are an important tool in health services and policy research, they are often characterized by low response rates. The authors conducted a systematic review of 22 published reports of efforts to improve response rates to nurse surveys. Two general strategies were explored in this literature: incentive and design-based approaches. Even small financial incentives were found to be effective in improving nurse survey participation. Token nonmonetary incentives, in contrast, were much less effective. In terms of design strategies, postal and telephone strategies have generally been more successful than have fax or web-based approaches, with evidence also supporting use of mixed-mode surveys in this population. In addition, use of first-class stamps on return envelopes as well as questionnaires personalized and endorsed by legitimizing professional associations were also more likely to be successful. Researchers should continue to implement evidence-based strategies in order to improve the survey response of nurses. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: Background: Female sex workers’ (FSWs’) use of alcohol, a known disinhibitor to risk behaviour, has been largely understudied. Knowledge of how various sex work venues influence FSW''s alcohol consumption before engaging in commercial sex is even rarer. Our analysis identifies those factors across three types of sex-work venues that predict alcohol use among FSWs prior to paid sexual intercourse with clients. Our data were collected through structured interviews with FSWs engaging in commercial sex in Senggigi Beach, Lombok Island in the eastern Indonesian province of West Nusa Tenggara. Methods: Employing a cross-sectional and multilevel design, three categories of venues where FSWs meet clients in Senggigi were sampled: (1) discotheques and bars (freelance), (2) brothels, and (3) recreational enterprises such as karaoke establishments and massage parlors. The sample consisted of 115 women “nested” within 16 sex work venues. The FSWs reported on 326 clients interactions. Results: Results show that FSWs consumed alcohol before commercial sex with 157 (48%) of the 326 clients interactions. Alcohol use varied by differences in HIV policies and services offered at the sex work venue, the FSW''s educational level and age, and client characteristics. Conclusion: Alcohol use is common prior to sexual intercourse among FSWs and their clients in Senggigi, and the venue where FSWs meet their clients influences the women''s alcohol use. Freelancers were likelier to use alcohol than those who work at brothels and recreational enterprises. Given the recognized links between alcohol use prior to sex and high risk behaviour, HIV prevention programmes that discourage alcohol use should be introduced to both women who engage in commercial sex and also sex-work venue managers, owners, and clients. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hair specimens were collected from 322 subjects and analyzed as part of an experimental study administering household surveys during 1997 to a high-risk community sample of adults from Chicago, Illinois. Toxicologic results were compared with survey responses about recent and lifetime drug use. About 35% of the sample tested positive for cocaine, and 4% tested positive for heroin. Sample prevalence estimates of cocaine use based on toxicologic results were nearly five times the survey-based estimates of past month use and nearly four times the survey-based estimates of past year use. With the hair test results as the standard, cocaine and heroin use were considerably underreported in the survey. Underreporting was more of a problem for cocaine than for heroin. Among those who tested positive, survey disclosure of cocaine use was associated with higher levels of cocaine detected in hair. In general, when recent drug use was reported, it was usually detected in hair. When a drug was detected in hair, use was usually not reported in the survey. When heroin was detected in hair, cocaine was almost always detected as well. Am J Epidemiol 1999; 149:955–62. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Although lesbians are believed to be at disproportionately high risk for smoking, few published studies have focused on smoking rates in this population. We examined and compared rates and demographic correlates of smoking among 550 lesbians and 279 heterosexual women in Chicago, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and in New York City in 1994-1996 using a self-administered survey questionnaire. African-American lesbians were more likely than African-American heterosexual women or White lesbians to be current smokers. For the sample as a whole, education was the most robust predictor of both current and lifetime smoking. Racial/ethnic minority lesbians with high school education or less were most likely to report both current and lifetime cigarette smoking. The study's limitations are noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although physician surveys are an important tool in health services and policy research, they are often characterized by low response rates. The authors conducted a systematic review of 66 published reports of efforts to improve response rates to physician surveys. Two general strategies were explored in this literature: incentive and design-based approaches. Even small financial incentives were found to be effective in improving physician response. Token nonmonetary incentives were much less effective. In terms of design strategies, postal and telephone strategies have generally been more successful than have fax or Web-based approaches, with evidence also supporting use of mixed-mode surveys in this population. In addition, use of first-class stamps on return envelopes and questionnaires designed to be brief, personalized, and endorsed by legitimizing professional associations were also more likely to be successful. Researchers should continue to implement design strategies that have been documented to improve the survey response of physicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: This study examined the relationships between childhood and family background variables, including sexual and physical abuse, and subsequent alcohol abuse and psychological distress in adult lesbians. Methodology: Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate relationships between childhood sexual and physical abuse and parenting variables and latent measures of lifetime alcohol abuse and psychological distress in a large community-based sample of lesbians. Results: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) directly predicted lifetime alcohol abuse, and childhood physical abuse (CPA) directly predicted lifetime psychological distress. In addition, CSA indirectly increased the risk of lifetime alcohol abuse through its negative effect on age at first heterosexual intercourse. Childhood physical abuse had only indirect effects on lifetime alcohol abuse through its strong relationship to lifetime psychological distress. Parental drinking problems and parental strictness directly predicted lifetime psychological distress; parental drinking problems indirectly predicted lifetime alcohol abuse through the mediators of age of drinking onset and lifetime psychological distress. White lesbians, younger lesbians, and those with lower levels of education were at greatest risk of psychological distress. Conclusion: While the cross-sectional design precludes causal conclusions, study findings—especially those related to CSA—are consistent with previous research on predominantly heterosexual women in the general population. Lesbians who experienced CSA were at heightened risk of lifetime alcohol abuse and those who experienced CPA were at heightened risk of lifetime psychological distress relative to lesbians without abuse histories. Given the dearth of research on childhood abuse and sexual orientation, studies are needed that examine the similarities and differences between lesbians’ and heterosexual women''s experiences of, and responses to, childhood abuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: Questions regarding the nature of the association between drug use and risk of homelessness remain unresolved and have important policy implications.Methods: To address this issue, data are presented from a 2001 community survey in Chicago, Illinois that collected information regarding histories of drug use behaviors and homeless experiences from 627 adults aged 18 to 40. Using covariance structure analyses, two alternative models of the association between drug use and homelessness were evaluated: social selection versus social adaptation processes.Results: These findings provide evidence consistent with the social adaptation perspective, as early homeless experiences were predictive of subsequent drug use behavior in this community sample. Social selection processes were observed in bivariate, but not in multivariate, analyses.Conclusions: The role of homelessness as a risk factor for drug use initiation should be further explored. Efforts to prevent homelessness may also contribute to the prevention of drug abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This presentation discusses potential associations between dimensions of culture and patterns of substance use. Several well-known frameworks for organizing cultural values and orientations are presented. As an illustration, one framework (Hofstede, 2001) is examined for its relevance in understanding national-level variations in patterns of alcohol and illicit drug use. Two of four cultural dimensions examined, individualism-collectivism and uncertainty avoidance, are found to be independently associated with one or more substance use measures in a diverse sample of 64 nations. Future multi-level analyses that integrate cultural values and orientations into empirical studies will enable more systematic assessments of the role of socio-cultural contexts in substance use epidemiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the relationship between nonresponse processes and key research variables is central to evaluating if and how nonresponse introduces bias into survey estimates. In most telephone surveys, however, little information is available with which to estimate these effects. We report a procedure for examining the potential effects of nonresponse via analyses that (1) investigate the linkages between community-level (zip code) variables and survey nonresponse and (2) examine the associations between these community-level variables and key survey measures. We demonstrate these procedures using hierarchical modeling to analyze data from a state-wide telephone survey in Illinois. One zip code-level indicator of concentrated disadvantage--the percentage of the population below poverty level--was found to be positively associated with nonresponse and, among respondents, with both current physical disability status and lack of health insurance coverage, suggesting that both may have been underestimated in this survey. This inexpensive approach has the potential of enabling researchers to routinely evaluate nonresponse effects in their survey data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nonresponse is a potentially serious source of error in epidemiologic surveys concerned with injury control and risk. This study presents the findings of a records-matching approach to investigating the degree to which survey nonresponse may bias indicators of violence-related and unintentional injuries in a random-digit-dialed (RDD) telephone survey. Methods: Data from a statewide RDD survey of 4155 individuals aged 16 years and older conducted in Illinois in 2003 were merged with ZIP code–level data from the 2000 Census. Using hierarchical linear models, ZIP code–level indicators were used to predict survey response propensity at the individual level. Additional models used the same ZIP code measures to predict a set of injury-risk indicators. Results: Several ZIP code measures were found to be predictive of both response propensity and the likelihood of reporting partner violence. For example, people residing in high-income areas were less likely to participate in the survey and less likely to report forced sex by partner, processes that suggest an over-estimation of this form of violence. In contrast, estimates of partner isolation may be under-estimated, as those residing in geographic areas with smaller-sized housing were less likely to participate in the survey but more likely to report partner isolation. No ZIP code–level correlates of survey response propensity, however, were found also to be associated with driving-under-the-influence (DUI) indicators. Conclusions: There is evidence of a linkage between survey response propensity and one variety of injury prevention measure (partner violence) but not another (DUI). The approach described in this paper provides an effective and inexpensive tool for evaluating nonresponse error in surveys of injury prevention and other health-related conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Purpose: The aim is to identify the characteristics of common health survey questions that may be associated with cross-cultural variability in question comprehension. Methods: Interviews with respondents representing four cultural subgroups in the United States were analyzed through behavior coding to identify survey question characteristics that may be associated with cross-cultural variability in comprehension. Using survey responses as the unit of analysis, nested within survey respondents and survey questions, hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the effects of four questionnaire design features on cultural variations in comprehension difficulties. Results: Respondent culture was found to moderate the effects of response format, question length, and reading levels. Conclusions: Several question design strategies that reduce overall comprehension difficulty appear to also increase cross-cultural disparities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Presents an introduction to the September 2005 issue of the journal "Substance Use and Misuse."

Primary care physicians are in a unique position to detect patients with substance use related problems and initiate treatment at an early stage when it may be more successful. To evaluate current knowledge, attitudes, and practices of primary care physicians in the United States regarding the detection of substance use related problems, a national telephone survey of practicing primary care physicians was conducted in 1999. A total of 648 randomly selected family and general practitioners, internists, pediatricians, and OB-GYNs were interviewed regarding their perceived preparation to diagnose selected health conditions, their perceived difficulty discussing selected health conditions with patients, and their perceptions of the effectiveness of available treatments for selected health conditions. Findings suggest that primary care physicians in the United States perceive themselves as being less prepared to diagnose substance “abuse” than other chronic conditions. They additionally find it more difficult to discuss this topic with their patients, and are more skeptical about the effectiveness of available treatments. Because the social, economic, and health consequences of untreated substance misuse negatively affect the quality of life for so many patients and their families, developing new approaches to improving the attitudes and screening behaviors of primary care providers vis-à-vis substance use disorders should continue to be an important priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although lesbians are believed to be at heightened risk for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, the reliability and validity of currently available screening measures have yet to be explored in this population group. In this paper, we report the psychometric properties of the CAGE in a diverse sample of 63 lesbians and comparisons with a control group of 57 heterosexual women. Data were collected in Chicago during 1997–1998 using face-to-face interviews. Findings suggest that the CAGE has good reliability and concurrent validity among lesbians. One CAGE item, concerned with drinking in the morning, however, was found to be only weakly associated with the other items among lesbians. Although this pilot study is limited by the nonprobability sample, we conclude that evaluating the appropriateness of other alcohol and drug abuse measures in high-risk populations, such as lesbians, should be a research priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses psychological and social risks of behavioral research. Risks to human subjects associated with participation in research are an important consideration in the design of studies and in the informed consent process. Yet, there are significant gaps in the knowledge about the psychological and social risks of behavioral research. The review of federal regulations governing research with humans and empirical work pertaining to behavioral research risks shows that researchers have little data on the frequency of specific psychological and social risks and on the implications of these risks for research subjects who experience them.

Drug testing was used as an adjunct to a general population household drug use survey administered via audio computer assisted self-interview. Participants, ages 18–40 years residing in Chicago, were recruited to participate in three different biological tests (hair, oral fluid, and urine) presented in random order subsequent to completing an interview. Subjects had the option of participating in zero to three different tests. We examined participation/refusal in tests, reaction to testing requests, as well as variables associated with participation and reaction. Subjects were randomly assigned to a low (US$ 10 per test) or high (US$ 20 per test) incentive condition. Over 90% of the sample participated in at least one test, usually the oral fluid test. Associations between refusal status and two variables, socioeconomic status (SES) and presence of children in the household, provided partial support for the notion that drug test participation parallels the survey response process in general. Incentive level did not directly increase drug test participation. Reporting of recent illicit drug use was associated with participation in only one procedure, hair testing. Type of test offered and individual differences in willingness to be drug tested were important predictors of drug test refusal and subject reaction to testing requests. Compared with urine and hair testing, oral fluid testing had lower refusal rates and was generally more acceptable to respondents in a general population survey. The findings support the feasibility of incorporating multiple drug tests with modest incentives into general population household surveys on drug abuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Relatively little is known about the substance abuse treatment need patterns and experiences of youth incarcerated in the United States juvenile justice system. To address this issue, four analytic questions concerned with understanding the predictors of treatment need and utilization patterns among adolescents entering the juvenile corrections system are examined. Data analyzed were collected as part of a face-to-face survey of 401 youth who entered the Illinois juvenile correctional system in mid-2000. Overall, need for treatment and treatment utilization each were predicted by sets of social environmental and personal characteristics, in addition to several sociodemographic variables. Less than half of youth with an identified need for treatment reported receiving treatment. Considerable variability in the effects of demographic and social environmental indicators on treatment need and utilization across race groups also was observed. These findings underscore the need for the continual development of the cultural competence of treatment providers and the expansion of onsite provision of substance abuse treatment services to incarcerated juveniles. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

To assess the utility of biological testing in a general population survey for estimating prevalence and evaluating self-report data quality. An audio computer-assisted interview was administered to subjects from June 2001 to January 2002. Immediately following the interview, subjects were requested to participate in hair, oral fluid and urine testing. Subjects were from randomly selected households in the City of Chicago using multi-stage sampling methods. Interviews were conducted in subjects’ homes. The data represent 627 randomly selected adult participants, ages 18–40 years. Prevalance, kappa, conditioned kappa, sensitivity, specificity, under-reporting, ‘mixed model’ and logistic regression. Higher rates of marijuana use were generated from survey reports than from drug testing. Drug testing generated higher prevalence rates than survey reports for recent use of cocaine and heroin. Under-reporting of recent drug use was apparent for all three substances. Sensitivity was particularly low for cocaine and heroin. Race was related to under-reporting, with African Americans less likely to report marijuana use despite a positive test result. The utility of drug testing for surveys depends on the type of substance examined as well as on the type of test employed. Multiple tests have more utility than a single test. Drug testing is useful for identifying the levels and sources of under-reporting in a survey and provides a basis for adjusting prevalence estimates based on self-reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an overview of the cross-cultural quality of survey reports of substance use behaviors in the United States. Empirical data from 36 published studies (1977 2003) are examined to evaluate the reliability and validity of substance use reports across cultural groups. In these studies, race/ethnicity are used as proxy indicators of respondent culture. In general, the available research suggests that, with a few exceptions, the quality of survey data on racial and ethnic disparities in substance use is often limited by differential measurement error. A conceptual paradigm is presented to consider a wide range of potential causes for these differences in measurement error that includes two dimensions: emphasis on negative vs. positive behavior patterns, and emphasis on internal vs. external causal factors. These two dimensions yield four potential models that arc useful in understanding variations in substance use measurement error: the cultural deficit model, the cultural conflict model, the mainstream conformity model, and the cultural distrust model. Future research should focus on the ability of each of these alternative models to account for cultural variability in the quality of substance use reporting. Key Words: Culture; Survey measurement error; Substance use; Risk; High risk populations; Proxy indicators; Recanting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces a series of articles relating to the relationship between homelessness and substance use.

PURPOSE: To investigate whether substance abuse is a direct factor in the explanation of homelessness or one that operates indirectly through disaffiliation and human capital processes to place individuals at greater risk of the condition.METHODS: Analyses were conducted using data on substance abuse and homeless experiences from a random probability sample of 481 homeless persons and those at risk of homelessness in Cook County, Illinois. Covariance structure models were used to assess substance abuse, human capital, and disaffiliation as potential precursors of homelessness, with particular attention paid to the direct and indirect role of substance abuse in the loss of domicile.RESULTS: Analysis of several nested models of homelessness links substance abuse only indirectly to loss of domicile, primarily through its impact on social and institutional affiliations. Contrary to expectations, substance abuse did not impact homelessness indirectly by diminishing the accumulation of human capital.CONCLUSIONS: The role of disaffiliation as a proximate cause of homelessness was confirmed. This locates the phenomenon within the context of society itself, as a direct result of a breakdown in the social bonds necessary for human community. Substance abuse plays a critical role in this breakdown, negatively influencing social as well as institutional relationships. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Representative data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey are used to investigate the substance use patterns of immigrants and compare them to those of the native born populations. The information examined is from the 1991 supplementary Drug and Alcohol Use Data File, which examined the self-reported substance use behaviors of approximately 21,000 adults aged 18–44. Findings indicate that immigrants to the U.S. in the late twentieth century are less likely to use alcohol and other drugs than are native born citizens. Additional findings suggest assimilation processes by which exposure to mainstream American society leads to patterns of alcohol and illicit drug use among long term immigrants that approximates that of the native born population. The patterns of substance use observed among immigrants, however, are not consistent with acculturative stress mechanisms. These findings provide an important and representative profile of the substance use patterns of one of the largest international migration streams of the past one hundred years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims. To examine the reliability of self-reported age of first substance use experiences among national samples of adult and child respondents. Design. Survey responses from seven waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) were examined. Participants. Adult and child NLSY respondents reporting age of first tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine and/or crack use during two or more survey interviews. Measurements. Four indicators of reliability: intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), mean and absolute mean differences in reported age and reports consistent within 1 year. Findings. The adjusted mean ICC for all comparisons was 0.69. The adjusted mean difference in self-reported age of first substance use was - 0.52 years and the adjusted absolute mean difference was 2.00 years. The adjusted percentage of all comparisons reporting ages consistent within 1 year was 55.28%. More consistent reports were provided by adults, and in response to questions posed over 2 years as opposed to longer time intervals. Respondent answers to questions concerned with first use of marijuana were generally found to be most reliable; questions concerned with first use of crack were least reliable and reports of tobacco, alcohol and cocaine were intermediate. Logistic regression analyses also identified age, race, gender, education and poverty status as predictors of consistent reporting. Conclusions. Self-reports of age of first substance use experiences, as currently collected via survey questionnaires, are of sufficient reliability for most current epidemiological applications. For inquiries where age of substance use onset is itself a research focus, however, researchers should invest additional effort in improving the reliability of measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the potential prevalence impact of differences in consent procedures, mode of administration, and editing protocols in the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the Monitoring the Future study, and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, limiting analyses to 10th and 12th graders. NHSDA's high level of compliance with federal regulations regarding human subjects research, including thorough parental permission prior to adolescent participation, may in part be responsible for the relatively tow prevalence rates obtained in this study. Key mode effects which contribute to observed differences across surveys are survey setting and privacy. The two school-based surveys produce higher prevalence estimates than the NHSDA. Although NHSDA prevalence rates increase with increased interview privacy, the increase is not enough to account for discrepancies with the school surveys. The procedures used to handle inconsistent survey responses and to impute missing data are very different across the three surveys. These differences in editing procedures, however, are unlikely to be responsible for the observed differences in prevalence rates. Based on these analyses, we conclude that the field would benefit from a welt-designed experimental study evaluating school vs. household effects as well as the impact of variation in consent procedures. Increased methodological research on the validity of school based drug surveys is also needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]