Addiction Research Methods

Addiction Research Methods......Page 4
CONTENTS......Page 6
List of contributors......Page 12
Acknowledgements......Page 16
1.2 Where to start?......Page 18
1.3 Does theory matter?......Page 19
1.4 The literature review......Page 20
1.5 Which method suits my question – is a screwdriver better than a saw?......Page 21
1.6 Focus and structure of the book......Page 22
1.7 Terminology......Page 23
1.8 The need for a wider perspective and more careful selection of study design......Page 25
Section I: Research Fundamentals......Page 26
2.2 Background: Reliability and validity in addiction research......Page 28
2.3 Reliability and validity in addiction research......Page 33
2.4 Strengthening the quality of your results and conclusions: A brief checklist to improve reliability and validity......Page 36
2.5 Summary......Page 41
3.2 Probability sampling......Page 44
3.3 Non-probability sampling......Page 49
3.4 Qualitative sampling......Page 53
3.6 Technical considerations......Page 54
3.7 Conclusion......Page 57
4.2 What constitutes an experiment?......Page 60
4.4 What kind of experimental design?......Page 61
4.5 What intervention and comparison conditions?......Page 65
4.6 What target population and recruitment strategy?......Page 67
4.7 What sample size?......Page 69
4.8 What outcome measures?......Page 70
4.9 What statistical analyses?......Page 72
4.10 Conclusions......Page 73
5.2 Theory......Page 76
5.3 A recurring debate......Page 79
5.4 Principles for practice......Page 80
5.5 Data generation......Page 81
5.6 Analysis......Page 87
5.7 Conclusions......Page 90
6.2 Key concepts......Page 96
6.3 Major ethical frameworks......Page 97
6.4 Addiction-specific ethical issues......Page 100
6.6 Ethical processes in different countries......Page 104
6.7 Influence of funding body......Page 105
6.9 Conclusion......Page 106
Section II: Basic Toolbox......Page 112
7.2 Brief history......Page 114
7.3 Survey research designs......Page 115
7.4 Advantages and limitations of survey research designs......Page 116
7.5 Modes of data collection......Page 117
7.6 Questionnaire design......Page 118
7.7 Piloting the questionnaire......Page 121
7.8 Technological assistance......Page 122
7.9 Common challenges......Page 123
8.2 Why interviews?......Page 126
8.3 Reliability and validity of self-reported information......Page 127
8.4 Interviewing skills......Page 129
8.5 Types of interviews......Page 133
8.6 Types of interview data......Page 135
8.8 Summary......Page 137
9.1 Introduction......Page 144
9.2 Screening instruments......Page 145
9.3 Frequency of substance use......Page 147
9.4 Multi-dimensional scales......Page 150
9.5 Dependence......Page 152
9.6 Psychopathology......Page 156
9.7 Summary......Page 160
10.2 Uses of state biomarkers in research......Page 164
10.3 General principles when considering biomarkers......Page 166
10.4 Summary......Page 173
11.2 Imagining data – planning the study......Page 180
11.3 Collecting data – gathering the measurements......Page 182
11.4 Organising data – structuring the measurements......Page 183
11.5 Describing data – what do the data look like?......Page 184
11.6 Manipulating data......Page 188
11.7 Relationships within the data......Page 190
11.8 Interpreting relationships within the data......Page 194
11.9 Conclusion and exercises......Page 195
Section III: Real World Research Methods......Page 202
12.1 Introduction......Page 204
12.2 Auditing clinical activity in the city......Page 206
12.3 Needs assessment......Page 207
12.4 Qualitative research approaches......Page 209
12.5 Evaluation research......Page 210
12.7 Measuring outcomes in applied settings......Page 214
12.8 Overview and conclusions......Page 215
13.1 Conducting clinical research......Page 218
13.2 Discussion and conclusions: The role of the practitioner-researcher......Page 228
Section IV: Biological Methods......Page 238
14.2 Psychopharmacology: drugs, behaviour, physiology and the brain......Page 240
14.3 Measuring drug effects......Page 243
14.4 Human drug self-administration......Page 246
14.5 Drug withdrawal and craving......Page 248
14.6 Summary......Page 249
15.3 Imaging techniques......Page 252
15.4 Image analysis......Page 258
15.5 Some considerations when setting up an imaging study......Page 261
16.1 Introduction......Page 266
16.2 Animal studies......Page 269
16.3 Quantitative genetics......Page 271
16.4 Molecular genetics......Page 273
16.6 An addiction gene......Page 280
16.8 Concluding remarks......Page 281
17.2 Basic principles of behaviour: Reinforcement......Page 286
17.4 Drug self-administration: Simple schedules......Page 287
17.6 Drug self-administration: Measuring the reinforcing effects of drugs......Page 288
17.7 Drug self-administration: Modelling the effects of environmental cues with second-order schedules......Page 290
17.9 Drug self-administration: Modelling the uncontrolled and compulsive nature of addiction......Page 292
17.10 Intracranial drug self-administration and intracranial electrical self-stimulation......Page 293
17.12 Conditioned place preference......Page 295
17.14 Locomotor activity......Page 296
17.16 Integration of behavioural and neuroscience techniques......Page 298
Section V: Specialist Methods......Page 302
18.1 Introduction......Page 304
18.2 Tracing the history of ethnographic drug research......Page 305
18.3 Designing ethnographic research......Page 306
18.4 Getting started......Page 307
18.5 Collecting data......Page 309
18.6 Analysing ethnographic data......Page 310
18.7 Producing ethnographic texts......Page 311
18.8 Conclusion......Page 312
19.3 Definitions and uses of epidemiology in alcohol and other drug research......Page 316
19.4 Descriptive epidemiology......Page 317
19.5 Epidemiological research designs......Page 318
19.6 Analysis of case-control and cohort studies......Page 325
19.7 Experimental study designs......Page 327
19.8 Potential sources of error in epidemiology......Page 328
19.9 Summary......Page 331
20.2 Overview of meta-analytic methods......Page 336
20.3 Issues in meta-analyses of addiction interventions......Page 344
20.5 Conclusion......Page 348
21.2 Point of departure – divergent policy perspectives, difficulties in definition and temporal relevance......Page 354
21.3 International, national and local drug monitoring mechanisms......Page 355
21.4 Challenges in monitoring illicit drug use......Page 356
21.5 An overview of common information sources and some of their limitations......Page 358
21.6 Issues for the interpretation and analysis of data......Page 362
21.8 Triangulation......Page 364
21.9 Reliability and validity......Page 365
21.10 Reflections in a broken mirror: Pragmatic and imperfect solutions to an intractable problem......Page 366
22.1 Introduction......Page 372
22.2 Methods for quantitatively comparing an intervention’s benefits and costs......Page 373
22.3 Issues that arise in quantifying an intervention’s benefits and costs......Page 377
22.4 Methods for estimating an intervention’s effects......Page 379
22.5 Modelling methods......Page 382
22.6 Summary......Page 383
Section VI: Beyond Research......Page 390
23.1 Publishing addiction science......Page 392
23.2 Final thoughts......Page 393
Index......Page 394