Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:445-449
Copyright © 1981 by American Psychiatric Association
Cross-study comparisons of self-reported alcohol consumption in four clinical groups
KM Adams, I Grant, AS Carlin and R Reed
Clinical research on the chronic effects of alcohol has been difficult to
evaluate and compare because of the failure by investigators to quantify
self-reported alcohol consumption. The authors describe four diverse groups
of patients who were treated for alcohol and/or drug abuse. After devising
a procedure for comparing the data from these studies, they found that
patient self-reports of alcohol consumption may be less distorted than
commonly assumed. The present findings are consistent with current research
indicating that self-reports of alcohol use are reliable and clinically
consistent. The authors also discuss the relationship between
neuropsychological impairment and measures of alcohol and drug abuse.
