Validation of relapse timeline followback interview among Narcotics Anonymous clients

Background: Relapse is commonly defined as a return to substance use after a period of abstinence. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the timeline followback interview for substance abuse among the Narcotics Anonymous clients

Methods: In this cross-sectional methodological study, 385 clients presenting to Narcotics Anonymous centers of Qom city were selected by convenience sampling. Data were collected by demographic variables questionnaire and Timeline Followback Interview (TLFB). To validate the questionnaire, its reliability was first calculated by SPSS software and exploratory factor analysis was performed afterwards.  Then, confirmatory factor analysis was done by Lisrel software.

Results: All subjects were male and 61.56% of them were married. The results indicated that the internal consistency of 0.93 for the questionnaire. Further, the findings of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the acceptable construct validity of this questionnaire among the study sample.

Conclusion: The timeline followback interview enjoyed acceptable psychometric properties among the Iranian clients who joined Narcotics Anonymous groups. Therefore, researchers and clinicians can use the above mentioned questionnaire as a valid tool for assessing vulnerability to substance abuse relapse.