Comparison between self-report and hair analysis of illicit drug use in a community sample of middle-aged men.

Discrepancies between biological assays and self-report of illicit drug use could undermine epidemiological research findings. Two objectives of the present study are to examine the degree of agreement between self-reported illicit drug use and hair analysis in a community sample of middle-aged men, and to identify factors that may predict discrepancies between self-report and hair testing. Male participants followed since 1972 were interviewed about substance use, and hair samples were analyzed for marijuana, cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine (PCP) and methamphetamine using radioimmunoassay and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) techniques. Self-report and hair testing generally met good, but not excellent, agreement. Apparent underreporting of recent cocaine use was associated with inpatient hospitalization for the participant's most recent quit attempt, younger age, identifying as African American or other, and not having a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. The overestimate of marijuana use relative to hair test was associated with frequent use since 1972 and providing an inadequate hair sample. Additional research is needed to identify factors that differentially affect the validity of both hair drug testing and self-report.

Asians in the United States: substance dependence and use of substance-dependence treatment.

Clinicians have often observed that Asians are unlikely to utilize substance-dependence treatment services but few have reported empirical data examining this phenomenon. This study used data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 2000-2002, and tested whether Asians in the United States have relatively low rates of drug and alcohol dependence and whether substance-dependent Asians use treatment services less than Caucasians. Subsequent analyses were undertaken to identify factors that explained these racial differences. Of the 5,118 Asians, 159 met criteria for past-year drug or alcohol dependence. Asians with past-year substance dependence were significantly less likely than substance-dependent Caucasians to report past-year treatment (odds ratio 0.42, 95% confidence interval 0.19-0.96). Differences in past-year substance-dependence prevalence appear to be partially explained by between-group differences in ever using substances; differences in past-year treatment use appear to be in part related to differences in levels of acculturation and education.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, drug dependence, and suicidality among male Vietnam veterans with a history of heavy drug use.

This study examines the roles of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and drug dependence in non-fatal suicidality, i.e., suicidal ideation and suicide attempt, among Vietnam veterans in their adult years. The sample includes male veterans deployed to Vietnam, including an oversample of those who tested positive for opiates at their return (n = 642). PTSD, substance abuse, suicidality, and other psychopathology are analyzed using three waves of survey and military data covering the time period from early adolescence to middle adulthood. Measures include the onset and recency of each of the lifetime DSM-IV PTSD symptom criteria, and yearly symptom measures of DSM-IV dependence for alcohol and eight classes of psychoactive substances. Survival and hazard models are applied to assess the effects of drug dependence, PTSD, and other psychopathology on the duration of suicidality. Longitudinal models estimate the casual relationships among PTSD, drug dependence, and suicidality over a 25-year period. Results show evidence of strong continuity of PTSD, drug dependence, and suicidality over time. The causal role of drug dependence on PTSD and suicidality is limited to young adulthood. Evidence is stronger for self-medication in later adulthood. The results indicate that a life course perspective is needed for the combined treatment of PTSD and drug dependence for severely traumatized populations.

Substance use and abuse by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: preliminary results from four national epidemiologic studies.

OBJECTIVE: The authors analyzed four recent large national surveys to assess the degree of use and abuse of a wide range of psychoactive substances across subgroups of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) and in comparison with whites. METHOD: The surveys analyzed were the 1999 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, the 1992 National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey, and the 1995 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health In-School and In-Home surveys. The AAPI sample sizes varied from 900 to more than 4,500 across the four surveys. RESULTS: Among major racial groups, use of major substances is lowest for AAPIs. Among disaggregated AAPI groups, Japanese Americans have the highest substance use rates. Mixed-heritage AAPIs are at high risk for substance use, even after controlling for cultural protective factors and socioeconomic measures. Differential rates correspond to the ranking of several acculturation and socioeconomic indices. CONCLUSION: The results, while preliminary, point to the importance of rethinking ethnic and racial classifications for estimating substance use and abuse, for studying substance abuse problems in mixed-heritage adolescents, and for studying socioenvironmental and potentially genetic protective factors.