Issues and Concerns on the Validity of Self-Reports in Student-Based Studies on Minority Populations

This study uses large, nationally representative samples of high school seniors to investigate the epidemiology, reliability, and validity of racial/ethnic differences in drug use. On average, use is highest among American Indians and Whites, at an intermediate level among Hispanics, and lowest among Blacks and Asians. Racial/ethnic differences in drug-related attitudes and perceptions largely parallel differences in self-reported drug use. We argue that such correspondence should be taken, to a considerable extent, as evidence of the validity of self-reports.