An Experiment to Enhance the Reporting of Drug Use by Arrestees

Abstract

Findings from the Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) Program indicate that many arrestees underreport recent drug use. An experiment was undertaken to determine whether modifying DUF data collection procedures could enhance self-reporting without adversely affecting study response rates. A 2×2 factorial design was used to assess the effects of two manipulations. The first experimental condition involved administering either the standard DUF informed consent or an enhanced consent that told the arrestees more about the confidential nature of the research and the capabilities of urinalysis. The second condition involved collecting the urine specimen either before or after the interview was administered. A total of 2,009 Cleveland, Detroit, and Houston arrestees were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental cells. Findings indicate that: 1) none of the experimental conditions affected the interview and urine response rates; 2) whether an arrestee received the standard or enhanced informed consent did not affect self-reported drug use; and 3) while some comparisons indicated that the urine-first condition raised the rates of self-reporting, these differences were not found in more than one site. Implications for arrestee cooperation rates and the potential usefulness of asking for a urine specimen and analyzing it prior to the interview are discussed.