Royer F. Cook

Methods for Assessing Drug Use Prevalence in the Workplace: A Comparison of Self-Report, Urinalysis, and Hair Analysis

A random sample of 1,200 employees of a steel manufacturing plant were randomly assigned to four different self-report methods of assessing illicit drug use: 1) Individual interview in the workplace, 2) group-administered questionnaire in the workplace, 3) telephone interview, and 4) individual interview off the worksite. Urine specimens were collected and analyzed on all 928 subjects participating in the study, and hair analysis was conducted on 307 of the subjects. Although self-reports produced the highest drug use prevalence rate, analyses combining the results of the three assessment methods showed that the actual prevalence rate was approximately 50% higher than the estimate produced by self-reports. The group-administered questionnaire condition produced prevalence rates that were roughly half those of the other self-report methods. The findings cast doubt on the validity of self-reports as a means of estimating drug use prevalence and suggest the need for multiple assessment methods.A random sample of 1,200 employees of a steel manufacturing plant were randomly assigned to four different self-report methods of assessing illicit drug use: 1) Individual interview in the workplace, 2) groupadministered questionnaire in the workplace, 3) telephone interview, and 4) individual interview off the worksite. Urine specimens were collected and analyzed on all 928 subjects participating in the study, and hair analysis was conducted on 307 of the subjects. Although selfreports produced the highest drug use prevalence rate, analyses combining the results of the three assessment methods showed that the actual prevalence rate was approximately 50% higher than the estimate produced by self-reports. The group-administered questionnaire condition produced prevalence rates that were roughly half those of the other self-report methods. The findings cast doubt on the validity of self-reports as a means of estimating drug use prevalence and suggest the need for multiple assessment methods.

Preventing alcohol use problems among blue-collar workers: a field test of the Working People program.

A program designed to prevent alcohol misuse among working adults was developed and presented in four sessions to employees of a medium-sized printing company. The Working People program, based on a social-learning model, was field-tested with 108 employees in the context of a quasi-experimental design. Members of the Program Group (n = 38) and two Comparison Groups (n = 26 and 44) were assessed before and after the program on a questionnaire containing measures of alcohol consumption, attitudes and intentions regarding alcohol use, problem consequences of alcohol use, and health beliefs. Program effects were demonstrated on alcohol consumption, motivation to reduce consumption, and problem consequences of drinking. No effects were found on health beliefs or self-efficacy to reduce drinking. Although the findings are qualified by the self-selected nature of the samples, the results suggest that alcohol consumption can be reduced among adults who participate in this type of worksite program.

Substance abuse prevention in the workplace: Recent findings and an expanded conceptual model

The majority of heavy drinkers and users of illicit drugs are employed adults, yet there is a dearth of sophisticated substance abuse prevention efforts in the workplace. This article reviews the approaches to worksite-based substance abuse prevention and presents the results of a field test of a prevention program aimed at the individual worker. Based on these findings and other theoretical perspectives from the literature, an expanded conceptual model for workplace substance abuse prevention is presented.

Prevention of Substance Abuse in the Workplace: Review of Research on the Delivery of Services

With the growing recognition that most illicit drug users and heavy drinkers are members of the work force, the workplace has become an increasingly significant, though still underutilized, vehicle for the delivery of substance abuse prevention services. This paper discusses some of the chief reasons for engaging in substance abuse prevention in the workplace; outlines the foundations of workplace prevention services; and reviews recent research on workplace substance abuse prevention, including the major preventive interventions aimed at the workplace environment and the individual worker. The paper closes with a discussion of future programming and research on the delivery of workplace prevention services.

An Evaluation of the Alternatives Approach to Drug Abuse Prevention

An alternatives-oriented, school-based drug abuse prevention program, Positive Alternatives for Youth (PAY), was evaluated over a 2-year period. Using a random-assignment, pretest-posttest control group design, 135 PAY students and 106 control group students were assessed on several attitudinal and behavioral measures of drug use. During the first year significant differences were detected between PAY and control students. Fewer differences were found in the second year, although a special analysis showed evidence of impact on PAY students rated as more involved in program activities. Reasons for specific results are discussed and implications are drawn for the alternatives approach and the field of drug abuse prevention.

The Alternatives Approach Revisited: A Biopsychological Model and Guidelines for Application

The alternatives approach to drug abuse prevention is based on the concept that individuals provided with healthful, nonchemical ways of gaining rewards and pleasures will be less likely to engage in drug or alcohol abuse. After enjoying a brief period of popularity the approach seems to have fallen out of favor, largely because of a combination of conceptual confusion and the lack of any systematic guidelines for the development and presentation of alternative activities. This article seeks to remedy those twin deficiencies. An attempt is made to explicate the physical and psychological dynamics underlying alternatives, culminating in the formulation of a biopsychological model of alternatives. The model depicts the sequence of events which moves an individual toward or away from healthful activities or drug use, and it generates a series of predictions and potential empirical tests of the model. The article presents a series of practical guidelines for the selection and development of alternative activities, designed to assist and encourage the development of healthful activities in the schools, the home, and the community.

Assessing Drug Use Prevalence in the Workplace: A Comparison of Self-Report Methods and Urinalysis

A random sample of 800 employees of a steel manufacturing company were randomly assigned to one of four self-report methods of assessing illicit drug use: 1) Individual interview in the workplace, 2) group-administered questionnaire in the workplace, 3) telephone interview, and 4) individual interview off the worksite. All 621 subjects participating in the research were also tested by urinalysis. Rates of drug use self-report were highest in the workplace interview condition and lowest in the overall group questionnaire condition. Although the overall prevalence rates produced by self-reports and urinalysis were similar, there was little concordance between urinalysis positives and self-report positives. The results indicated that self-reports and urinalysis are complementary methods of drug use assessment, and are best used in combination.