Assessing sexual risk behaviour with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) approach: continued development and psychometric evaluation with psychiatric outpatients. Int J STD AIDS 2001 Jun;12(6):365-75
Date
05/23/2001Pubmed ID
11368817Pubmed Central ID
PMC2587256DOI
10.1258/0956462011923309Scopus ID
2-s2.0-0034974083 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 167 CitationsAbstract
This paper describes a series of 4 studies, designed to provide evidence of the feasibility, reliability, and validity of the Timeline Followback (TLFB) method when used to assess sexual risk behaviour with psychiatric outpatients. This population was selected because patients often have difficulty completing assessments of sexual risk behaviours due to deficits in attention, memory, and communication skills. All 4 studies demonstrated the feasibility of the HIV-risk TLFB. Study 1 also demonstrated that it can be completed in 20 min, and scored in less than 10 min. Qualitative data revealed that both patients and assessors found the features of the TLFB helpful. Study 2 provided evidence that the HIV-risk TLFB can be reliably scored by interviewers whereas Study 3 demonstrated that this measure can be completed reliably by patients and that TLFB of sexual behaviour were consistent over time. Study 4 provided initial evidence for the validity of the HIV-risk TLFB but also suggested that the TLFB may yield frequency estimates that are slightly less than those obtained with single-item measures. We conclude that the TLFB is feasible, reliable, and valid, even in a population known to have difficulty with self-report measures.
Author List
Carey MP, Carey KB, Maisto SA, Gordon CM, Weinhardt LSAuthor
Lance S. Weinhardt MS,PhD Associate Dean for Research and Professor of Community and Behavioral Health Promotion in the Joseph. J. Zilber School of Public Health department at University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdolescentAdult
Ambulatory Care Facilities
Cohort Studies
Feasibility Studies
Female
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Mental Disorders
Middle Aged
Psychometrics
Reproducibility of Results
Risk Assessment
Risk-Taking
Self Disclosure
Sexual Behavior
