Validity of Integrity Tests for Predicting Drug and Alcohol Abuse: A Meta-Analysis (From Meta-Analysis of Drug Abuse Prevention Programs, P 69-95, 1997, William J. Bukoski, ed. -- See NCJ-176723)

• NCJ Number: 176725
• Author(s): F L Schmidt; V Viswesvaran; D S Ones
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 27 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute on Drug Abuse; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

The research reported in this paper used psychometric meta- analysis (Hunter and Schmidt, 1990b) to examine the validity of integrity tests for predicting drug and alcohol abuse.

Abstract

Integrity tests are designed to measure the predisposition of individuals to engage in counterproductive behaviors on the job. They are paper-and-pencil tests developed for use with job applicants and employees. Integrity tests have previously been found to predict such counterproductive workplace behaviors as absenteeism, property damage, and violence on the job (Ones et al., 1993; Ones et al., unpublished observations). All studies located for this meta-analysis were concurrent. For both drugs and alcohol, the findings show that integrity tests correlated substantially (0.34 to 0.51) with admissions of abuse in student and employee samples. In samples of job applicants, however, the mean validity was lower (0.21) for drug abuse; validity for applicants was high for alcohol abuse, but only one study was found. All meta-analyses showed that validity was generalizable. Based on these analyses, the authors conclude that the operational validity of integrity tests for predicting drug and alcohol abuse in the workplace is probably about 0.30. Further research is needed, however; predictive validity studies conducted on job applicants would be particularly useful. 5 tables and 81 references