Comparison of Drinking Patterns Measured by Daily Reports and Timeline Follow Back

The major objective of this study was to compare near real-time daily alcohol consumption data over the course of 366 consecutive days with retrospective reports by means of the timeline follow-back (TLFB). Participants ( N = 33) responded for 366 days on an interactive voice response (IVR) system b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychology of addictive behaviors 2000-09, Vol.14 (3), p.277-286
Main Authors: Searles, John S, Helzer, John E, Walter, Daniel E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Addictive behaviors
Adult
Adult and adolescent clinical studies
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol consumption
Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology
Alcohol Drinking - psychology
Alcohol Use
Alcoholism
Alcoholism - diagnosis
Alcoholism - epidemiology
Alcoholism - psychology
Biological and medical sciences
Data Collection
Drinking patterns
Human
Humans
Male
Measurement
Medical Records
Medical sciences
Pilot Projects
Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychometrics. Diagnostic aid systems
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Self-Report
Techniques and methods
Truth Disclosure
Vermont
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Summary:The major objective of this study was to compare near real-time daily alcohol consumption data over the course of 366 consecutive days with retrospective reports by means of the timeline follow-back (TLFB). Participants ( N = 33) responded for 366 days on an interactive voice response (IVR) system by entering alcohol consumption data daily using the touch-tone pads of their telephones. In-person interviews were conducted every 13 weeks during which participants were administered the TLFB. The correlations between the IVR and TLFB for amount consumed, drinking days, and heavy drinking days were modest. There was a wide variability across participants in their individual correlations for these variables. Participants who were diagnosable with a lifetime DSM-IV alcohol disorder at baseline significantly underreported their drinking compared with participants who were not diagnosable. The authors were unable to ascertain variables that influenced accurate reporting on the TLFB.
ISSN:0893-164X
1939-1501
DOI:10.1037/0893-164X.14.3.277