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Cited by 107Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesSmoking Behavior and CessationPsychometric Methodologies and Testing

Inconsistencies in adolescents’ self-reports of initiation of alcohol and tobacco use

Engels, Rutger C.M.E., Knibbe, Ronald A., Drop, Maria J.·1997·Addictive Behaviors
DOI 10.1016/s0306-4603(96)00067-6
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Abstract

This study focuses on errors in estimations of age at which alcohol and tobacco are used for the first time. The data come from a 5-year longitudinal study with three measurements. Self-reports about age of first use at the baseline measurement were compared with similar self-reports at two follow-up surveys. Adolescents were more likely to report a higher age of first use at follow-up measurements. Those who at the baseline measurement reported having smoked (n = 338) or consumed alcohol (n = 523) 61.7% and 89%, respectively, underestimated their years of use. By comparison with estimations at the first and third measurement, 13.6% for smoking and 4.6% for drinking were consistent about their age of first use. Self-reports about the age of onset at the baseline measurement were correlated with frequency and intensity of tobacco and alcohol use 5 years later to assess the predictive power of age of onset for later use. With one exception (correlation with intensity of alcohol use 5 years later, r = .14) no significant correlation was found. The results show that the concept age of first use should be utilized with caution for two reasons: (1) the reliability of assessment is insufficient, and (2) correlations of different estimates with actual frequency and intensity of consumption at the third wave are inconsistent. Explanations for errors in measurement, and recommendations for improvement, are discussed.

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  • Longitudinal studies of adolescents have found that estimates of the age of first use do tend to increase upon repeat assessment, but the rank ordering for the different drugs remains the same.

    “Longitudinal studies of adolescents have found that estimates of the age of first use do tend to increase upon repeat assessment (i.e. as people age) ([Engels et al., 1997](#R11); [Henry et al., 1994](#R16); [Labouvie et al., 1997](#R23)), but the rank ordering for the different drugs remains the same ([Engels et al., 1997](#R11); [Henry et al., 1994](#R16); [Labouvie et al., 1997](#R23)).”

    From Epidemiological patterns of extra-medical drug use in the United States: Evidence from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication, 2001–2003 (2007) · cites this paper as Engels et al., 1997

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Authors
Engels, R. C. M. E., Knibbe, R. A., & Drop, M. J.
Affiliations
Maastricht University (NL)
Corresponding author
Engels, Rutger C.M.E.
ORCID
Venue
Addictive Behaviors
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
1997-09
Volume
22
Issue
5
Pages
613-623
ISSN
0306-4603 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0306-4603(96)00067-6
OpenAlex
W2008786675
Cited by
107
References
28
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 6
FWCI
5.00
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Addictive Behaviors (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Smoking Behavior and Cessation
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › Management Science and Operations Research › Psychometric Methodologies and Testing
Keywords
age at first use, alcohol initiation, tobacco initiation, adolescents, self-report reliability, measurement error, underreporting, smoking, alcohol consumption, longitudinal consistency
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Alcohol Drinking, Child, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Netherlands, Sampling Studies, Smoking, Reproducibility of Results, Age of Onset

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