Lower Levels Of Educational Attainment Research Articles

An Exploratory Study of Female Psychopathy and Drug-Related Violent Crime.

There is a clear link between drugs and violence, and the extensive burden drug-related violence inflicts on society. However, drug-related violence is largely understudied, especially in female populations. The aim of the present study was to explore whether women convicted of drug-related violent crime differed on individual-level risk factors from women convicted of a nondrug-related violent crime and women convicted of nonviolent crimes. One hundred and twenty-five female inmates were classified using official criminal records. Multinomial logistic regression indicated inmates higher in antisocial psychopathic traits and low level of educational attainment were more likely to be in the drug-related violent crime group. In comparison, inmates higher in callous psychopathic traits were more likely to be in the nondrug-related violent crime group. Using official records of prison misconduct, a secondary aim tested whether prison violence increased the likelihood of being in either of the violent crime groups. Results show inmates who had committed violent misconducts over a 6-month period were more likely to be the nondrug-related violent crime group. Prison violence did not differentiate inmates in the nonviolent crime group from the drug-related violent crime group. These findings are the first to explore the relation between psychopathy and drug-related violent crime, and drug-related violent crime predicting future violent behavior in female criminals. This study demonstrates the heterogeneity in female violent behavior. Furthermore, psychopathy is not only shown to be an important risk factor for violence in women but also highlights that the dimensional construct is essential for understanding context-dependent violence.

Lone Parent Activation in Ireland: Putting the Cart before the Horses?

AbstractLone parents and their children are the biggest group at risk of living in poverty in Ireland, and activation is regarded as the solution to this problem by policymakers. While workfare requirements are now placed on lone parents whose youngest child is aged 14 or over, we question the capacity of the current activation policy to deliver an adequate income for these families. Drawing on evidence from other countries and the current Irish context, we argue that the absence of tailored support for lone parents, low levels of educational attainment, difficulties with childcare, the efficacy of financial supports to provide income adequacy and the failure to take into consideration their parenting responsibility mean that the implementation of the policy is fraught with difficulty.

Mortality and morbidity in the 21st century.

We build on and extend the findings in Case and Deaton (2015) on increases in mortality and morbidity among white non-Hispanic Americans in midlife since the turn of the century. Increases in all-cause mortality continued unabated to 2015, with additional increases in drug overdoses, suicides, and alcohol-related liver mortality, particularly among those with a high-school degree or less. The decline in mortality from heart disease has slowed and, most recently, stopped, and this combined with the three other causes is responsible for the increase in all-cause mortality. Not only are educational differences in mortality among whites increasing, but from 1998 to 2015 mortality rose for those without, and fell for those with, a college degree. This is true for non-Hispanic white men and women in all five year age groups from 35-39 through 55-59. Mortality rates among blacks and Hispanics continued to fall; in 1999, the mortality rate of white non-Hispanics aged 50-54 with only a high-school degree was 30 percent lower than the mortality rate of blacks in the same age group but irrespective of education; by 2015, it was 30 percent higher. There are similar crossovers in all age groups from 25-29 to 60-64. Mortality rates in comparable rich countries have continued their pre-millennial fall at the rates that used to characterize the US. In contrast to the US, mortality rates in Europe are falling for those with low levels of educational attainment, and have fallen further over this period than mortality rates for those with higher levels of education. Many commentators have suggested that poor mortality outcomes can be attributed to contemporaneous levels of resources, particularly to slowly growing, stagnant, and even declining incomes; we evaluate this possibility, but find that it cannot provide a comprehensive explanation. In particular, the income profiles for blacks and Hispanics, whose mortality rates have fallen, are no better than those for whites. Nor is there any evidence in the European data that mortality trends match income trends, in spite of sharply different patterns of median income across countries after the Great Recession. We propose a preliminary but plausible story in which cumulative disadvantage from one birth cohort to the next, in the labor market, in marriage and child outcomes, and in health, is triggered by progressively worsening labor market opportunities at the time of entry for whites with low levels of education. This account, which fits much of the data, has the profoundly negative implication that policies, even ones that successfully improve earnings and jobs, or redistribute income, will take many years to reverse the mortality and morbidity increase, and that those in midlife now are likely to do much worse in old age than those currently older than 65. This is in contrast to an account in which resources affect health contemporaneously, so that those in midlife now can expect to do better in old age as they receive Social Security and Medicare. None of this implies that there are no policy levers to be pulled; preventing the over-prescription of opioids is an obvious target that would clearly be helpful.

Pa'lante in Pennsylvania: Puerto Rican Educational and Cultural Organizing through Aspira Inc. of Pennsylvania

Pa’lante in Pennsylvania: Puerto Rican Educational and Cultural Organizing through Aspira Inc. of Pennsylvania Lauren Lefty (bio) Aspira—meaning “aspire” in Spanish—was the first professionally staffed, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to the Puerto Rican community. As a youth development organization, it provided leadership training, academic support, and cultural heritage programming to its mainly Puerto Rican students, known as Aspirantes.1 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) holds sixty-nine boxes of materials related to the Pennsylvania branch of the organization, a treasure trove of materials for those in terested in Latinx history, urban history, the history of education, or philanthropy from the 1960s to the present. Given the rise of the Latinx student population across the state and country, this material is particularly helpful in shedding new light on the longstanding contributions of East Coast Latinxs and their experiences with public schools. Aspira was the brainchild of New York–based social worker and community organizer Antonia Pantoja. As an offshoot of the 1950s-era Puerto Rican Forum, Aspira kicked off its activities in 1961 from an office in Manhattan. Recognizing the importance of education in an increasingly credentials-oriented, information-based economy, Pantoja’s goal was to prepare a leadership class of Puerto Ricans for admission to and success in college, which would then continue the fight for equal rights and recognition as American citizens. The organization used the school-based club model and helped students and their families navigate the high school graduation and college application processes, learn about various professional career paths, and plan cultural events so that students would retain pride in their Puerto Rican heritage.2 [End Page 382] Following World War II, a large number of Puerto Ricans migrated to the mainland in search of better jobs and educational opportunities in what is known as the Great Puerto Rican Migration. As US citizens since 1917, Puerto Ricans were able to move freely to the mainland and concentrated mainly in such East Coast urban centers as New York, Newark, and Philadelphia. Nonetheless, owing to their classification as a racial and ethnic minority and the precarious colonial status of the island, Puerto Ricans experienced high levels of discrimination and poverty and low levels of educational attainment. Organizations such as Aspira, led by a dedicated coterie of Puerto Rican professionals, worked hard to correct these trends while resisting outright cultural assimilation. Though Aspira remained a mainstream reform organization and not quite part of the radical nuevo despertar that such groups as the Young Lords came to represent by the late sixties and early seventies, Pantoja and Aspira nonetheless paved the way for the radical activities of the Lords, many of them former Aspirantes. In 1968, a Ford Foundation grant allowed Aspira to expand its geographical reach to other cities with large Puerto Rican populations, including Chicago, Newark, San Juan, and Philadelphia. Aspira Inc. of Pennsylvania was thus created in 1969 to serve the large and growing Puerto Rican community in Philadelphia, Bethlehem, and elsewhere across the state. The materials in the Aspira Inc. (Pennsylvania) Records at HSP mainly derive from the period between 1972 and 1986 and include a wide array of sources: correspondence, annual and monthly reports, project grants and reviews, job descriptions, personnel and student files, meeting minutes, news clippings, research reports, some print materials, and a large amount of financial data. Three major projects are chronicled, including Proyecto Amanece (Project Dawn), a community center located in Bethlehem; a talent search project that identified and supported promising college-bound Puerto Ricans across the state; and the Puerto Rican Youth Project, which chronicled the academic achievement and drop-out rates of Latinxs in Philadelphia schools during the 1970s. The collection will be helpful not only for scholars interested in an organizational history of Aspira but also for those working on many other topics beyond the institutional realm. Anyone looking to uncover the experience of Latinx students in Philadelphia schools in the 1970s and ’80s will find both helpful narrative reports and data on students with Spanish surnames. Urban historians interested in the role of nonprofit organizations [End Page 383] following the demise of the Great Society’s Community Action Programs will also find rich source...

Subjective well-being among young people in five Eastern European countries.

Subjective well-being incorporates elements of life satisfaction, happiness and optimism. It is increasingly relevant in the assessment of population health and economic development. There are strong continuities in well-being from youth into later life. Despite its significance, few global surveys capture subjective well-being. This paper describes patterns of well-being among young people in five Eastern European countries [Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine] and investigates association between demographic factors and well-being. Nationally representative household surveys, including large Roma population samples, were conducted as part of UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey programme. Young people aged 15-24 years (N=11944) indicated their satisfaction with life, happiness and expectations about the future. Multilevel logistic regressions were conducted to determine the impact of individual-level predictors while accounting for country- and cluster-level variability. Around 40% of young people considered themselves very happy or very satisfied with their life overall. Three quarters reported optimism. Yet well-being varied greatly between countries, with youth in BiH and Ukraine reporting lowest levels of well-being. Current marriage, increasing wealth, higher education, rural residence and not having children were associated with greater well-being. Patterns of well-being in youth vary substantially between countries and are only partly accounted for by standard demographic characteristics. Despite higher rates of adolescent marriage and childbearing, and lower levels of educational attainment and employment, Roma youth had similar levels of well-being to the general population.

The Timing of Puberty and Gender Differences in Educational Achievement

In this paper, we study the effect of the timing of puberty on educational achievement and examine to what extent the gender differences in the timing of puberty can explain gender differences in achievement. We use British cohort data that combine information on pubertal development with test scores, behavioral outcomes as well as final educational attainment and earnings. Controlling for age 7 cognitive skills and family background, we show that late pubertal development is associated with a slower rate of cognitive skill growth during adolescence. This disadvantage in cognitive development is also reflected in lower levels of educational attainment and earnings for late developed individuals. The number of late developing boys is however too small to explain more than a fraction of the gender gap in educational outcomes. Furthermore, we find no effects on self-discipline or other behavioral outcomes in adolescence, suggesting a mechanism wholly separate from other causes of the gender gap.

Small Business Perspectives on the Role of Rural Libraries in Economic Development

AbstractPeople living in the Appalachian region, including its rural areas, face challenging economic, social, and cultural conditions with limited financial opportunities, information poverty and unemployment, and low levels of information literacy and educational attainment. The roles played by rural public libraries in small business economic development in this region require exploratory study of representative small businesses to refocus library services and resources on their information needs and information-seeking experiences. This article proposes a user- and use-based model to represent the information context and perspectives of such businesses in the state of Tennessee as a case study in order to apply the lessons and insights to other parts of the United States. It concludes with suggestions for the blueprint design of a public library small business tool kit, an ideal resource that Tennessee’s rural public libraries can develop for small businesses in the future.

The Influence of Social Circumstances on “Risky” Patterns of Alcohol Consumption Among Mothers With Preschool-Aged Children in England

ABSTRACTBackground: Social factors have been linked to patterns of alcohol use among women. However, conflicting evidence on the ways in which socio-economic circumstances are linked to women's alcohol use impedes our understanding. Interest in women's alcohol use has moved up the policy agenda. Nevertheless, existing research fails to attend to differences among groups of women according to their social circumstances, including whether or not they are mothers. Objectives: This study aims to enhance our understanding of “risky” patterns of alcohol use among mothers in the UK during very early motherhood. Methods: Secondary analyses of 2000/1 data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) was undertaken. Using a broad outcome measure of “risky” alcohol use, patterns of consumption among a sub-set of mothers recruited in England (n = 7048) were explored according to a number of social and domestic variables. Using logistic regression, mutually adjusted analyses that included adjustment for age were undertaken. Odds ratios were calculated for the likelihood of “risky” drinking according to mothers' social circumstances and level of disadvantage. Results: “Risky” alcohol use was more likely with increased levels of disadvantage: disadvantaged childhood circumstances, lower levels of educational attainment, lower household income, younger age at first birth, lone parenthood. Conclusions: Social gradients were evident for “risky” alcohol use among mothers with 9-month-old babies in England who took part in the MCS. These findings emphasize the importance of exploring patterns of alcohol use among sub-groups of the population that are currently under-represented in the research literature.

The Future Labor Force of an Aging Taiwan: The Importance of Education and Female Labor Supply

This study uses multi-state cohort component projections and detailed vital statistics data to project the future Taiwanese population by age, sex, and education up to 2050. These are the first education-specific population projections for Taiwan, and they reveal how young highly educated cohorts during the next decades will replace older cohorts with lower levels of educational attainment. The results of the population projections enter our estimation of the future composition of the Taiwanese labor force. Incorporating education as an extra dimension in labor force projections allows us to make inferences about the quality of future labor supply in a rapidly aging Taiwan and the leverage of expanding economic activity across the life course, particularly of women. At present, women’s economic activity above age 25 in Taiwan is significantly lower than men’s and also much lower than women's in Western developed nations. Some of the expected adverse economic consequences of population aging can likely be alleviated by having a more educated and consequently more productive labor force. The overall results and conclusions of our study, though based on the Taiwanese context, apply to other Asian economies with rapidly aging populations and currently comparatively low levels of female labor force participation as well.

Access to Quality Education for Students with Disability

Conceptualising educational equity and academic achievement is a key task for inclusive education and the politics of inclusion. Recent Australian Government reports (2013-2016) on educational access and inclusion report low levels of educational access and attainment for students with disability. This paper considers the place that Pierre Bourdieu’s critical social theory has in helping us to conceptualise access, equity, and inclusion, and argue that the concepts of habitus, capital, and field (Bourdieu, 1977) have a key role to play in this process. Utilising these concepts to draw closely on three recent Australian Government reports (2013-2016) on educational equity and inclusion, our analysis has identified three consistent themes across these reports which disadvantage students with disability. These include cultural issues, economic capital, and the utility of education. These themes compound and culminate to highlight an issue of a lack of continuity across the field of education within Australia. As a consequence, the value of capital and operation of habitus function inconsistently across the field, rendering the process of the acquisition of success as being inequitable. Consideration is given to the need for a careful rethinking of how the inclusive education concept, connected to politics, can be transformed to eradicate inequities and inconsistencies to the benefit of all.

Access to Quality Education for Students with Disability

Conceptualising educational equity and academic achievement is a key task for inclusive education and the politics of inclusion. Recent Australian Government reports (2013-2016) on educational access and inclusion report low levels of educational access and attainment for students with disability. This paper considers the place that Pierre Bourdieu’s critical social theory has in helping us to conceptualise access, equity, and inclusion, and argue that the concepts of habitus, capital, and field (Bourdieu, 1977) have a key role to play in this process. Utilising these concepts to draw closely on three recent Australian Government reports (2013-2016) on educational equity and inclusion, our analysis has identified three consistent themes across these reports which disadvantage students with disability. These include cultural issues, economic capital, and the utility of education. These themes compound and culminate to highlight an issue of a lack of continuity across the field of education within Australia. As a consequence, the value of capital and operation of habitus function inconsistently across the field, rendering the process of the acquisition of success as being inequitable. Consideration is given to the need for a careful rethinking of how the inclusive education concept, connected to politics, can be transformed to eradicate inequities and inconsistencies to the benefit of all.

Community College Scientists and Salary Gap: Navigating Socioeconomic and Academic Stratification in the U.S. Higher Education System

ABSTRACTMore than 4 decades of research on community colleges has indicated that students who begin in these institutions realize lower levels of educational attainment than initial 4-year entrants. In terms of labor market outcomes, studies have overwhelmingly focused on comparing 2-year entrants to high school graduates who did not attend college. In contrast, this study concentrated on 2-year entrants who became scientists in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields and compared their individual and professional characteristics and monetary compensation during a 10-year period to those of scientists who entered college in the 4-year sector. The data analyzed came from 2 National Science Foundation longitudinal and nationally representative samples of doctorate recipients. The analytic techniques relied on the instrumental variables approach for dynamic panel data and propensity score weighting. Findings consistently revealed that 2-year entrants came from lower-income backgrounds and had lower mean salary and lower salary growth than their 4-year sector counterparts. Despite these negative salary-based effects, data showed that the 2-year sector has had an active function in the early formation of scientists. As the competition for science and technology development tightens worldwide, initiatives should identify understudied venues to increase the production of STEM graduates. Considering its scope, the 2-year sector could be one of them.

Western education: Suitable for everyone? Education for travelling, marginalized, and indigenous communities in the West

This article questions the western model of education as suitable for everyone. Having taught for many years, the purpose of education was always clear to me: children and adults needed literacy and education in order to operate in a modern society. My research, carried out in England between 2004 and 2011 on Gypsies’ and Travellers’ experiences of and attitudes toward literacy and education, revealed very low levels of educational attainment and a cultural disconnection from and distrust of mainstream education. Exploration of the situation in other minority communities in western countries—the Roma and Sami in Europe, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives in the United States and Canada, and Aboriginals in Australia—showed depressing similarities, including blaming these communities for their failure in education. The Sami have argued successfully for a more culturally relevant education, but elsewhere there is very little change. The education that western governments provide appears to be primarily designed for assimilation, not agency. Providing meaningful education to marginalized, travelling, and indigenous peoples will require a positive paradigmatic shift.

Social trust, interpersonal trust and self-rated health in China: a multi-level study.

BackgroundTrust is important for health at both the individual and societal level. Previous research using Western concepts of trust has shown that a high level of trust in society can positively affect individuals’ health; however, it has been found that the concepts and culture of trust in China are different from those in Western countries and research on the relationship between trust and health in China is scarce.MethodThe analyses use data from the national scale China General Social Survey (CGSS) on adults aged above 18 in 2005 and 2010. Two concepts of trust (“out-group” and “in-group” trust) are used to examine the relationship between trust and self-rated health in China. Multilevel logistical models are applied, examining the trust at the individual and societal level on individuals’ self-rated health.ResultsIn terms of interpersonal trust, both “out-group” and “in-group” trust are positively associated with good health in 2005 and 2010. At the societal level, the relationships between the two concepts of trust and health are different. In 2005, higher “out-group” social trust (derived from trust in strangers) is positively associated with better health; however, higher “in-group” social trust (derived from trust in most people) is negatively associated with good health in 2010. The cross-level interactions show that lower educated individuals (no education or only primary level), rural residents and those on lower incomes are the most affected groups in societies with higher “out-group” social trust; whereas people with lower levels of educational attainment, a lower income, and those who think that most people can be trusted are the most affected groups in societies with higher “in-group” social trust.ConclusionHigh levels of interpersonal trust are of benefit to health. Higher “out-group” social trust is positively associated with better health; while higher “in-group” social trust is negatively associated with good health. Individuals with different levels of educational attainment are affected by trust differently.

Development and Pilot Testing of Caregiver-Reported Pediatric Quality Measures for Transitions Between Sites of Care

BackgroundFew measures exist to assess pediatric transition quality between care settings. The study objective was to develop and pilot test caregiver-reported quality measures for pediatric hospital and emergency department (ED) to home transitions. MethodsOn the basis of an evidence review, we developed draft caregiver-reported quality measures for transitions between sites of care. Using the RAND-UCLA Modified Delphi method, a multistakeholder panel endorsed measures for further development. Measures were operationalized into 2 surveys, which were administered to caregivers of patients (n = 2839) discharged from Seattle Children's Hospital between July 1 and September 1, 2014. Caregivers were randomized to mail or telephone survey mode. Measure scores were computed as a percentage of eligible caregivers who endorsed receiving the indicated care. Differences in scores were examined according to survey mode and caregiver characteristics. ResultsThe Delphi panel endorsed 6 of 8 hospital to home transition measures and 2 of 3 ED to home transitions measures. Scores differed significantly according to mode for 1 measure. Caregivers with lower levels of educational attainment and/or Spanish-speaking caregivers reported significantly higher scores on 3 of the measures. The largest difference was reported for the measure that assessed whether caregivers received assistance with scheduling follow-up appointments; 92% score for caregivers with lower educational attainment versus 79% for caregivers with higher educational attainment (P < .001). ConclusionsWe developed 8 new, evidence-based quality measures to assess transition quality from the perspective of caregivers. Pilot testing of these measures in a single institution yielded valuable insights for future testing and implementation of these measures.

Impact of Educational Attainment on Marital Stability among Married Persons in Imo State, Nigeria

It has been revealed that recently there appear to be a kind of downward trend in marriage patronage in our society. The trend is prevalent in both western and non-western culture. Also, in the recent decade there seems to be a cut down in the interest of young people willing to go into marriage. This is as a result of the dwindling credibility that people attach to marriage and the retreat of men and women from getting married or patronizing marriage in our society today which seems to be a concomitant effect of the numerous crises bedeviling the marriage institution chief among which is marital instability. Unfortunately, not much is being done to redress this issue and since a stable marriage gives birth to a stable society and a stable nation, the primary aim of this study therefore was to determine the impact of educational attainment on marital stability among married persons in Imo State. The study adopted a casual comparative design. Eight hundred and three (803) married persons were selected through simple random sampling for the study. The study made use of questionnaire for the collection of data. Two research questions guided the study. Spearman’s Correlation Coefficient and independent T-test analysis were used to analyze the data. The findings revealed that there was a positive relationship between married persons’ low and high levels of educational attainment and marital stability while there was no significant relationship between those with medium level of educational attainment and their marital stability. Based on the findings, it was recommended that those involved and engaged in the marriage molding institution should organize seminars, workshops and conferences to educate intending couples with regard to choosing partners based on the couples’ educational attainment. Keywords: Impact, educational attainment, marital stability, married persons and Imo State

Level of Educational Attainment Among Deaf Adults Who Attended Bilingual-Bicultural Programs.

In Scandinavia and some other countries, a bilingual-bicultural approach to deaf education was celebrated in national programs from the mid-1980s until the broad popularity of cochlear implantation in middle 2000s created a shift back to an emphasis on spoken language for many deaf children. At the same time, only a few studies evaluated the long-term outcomes of bilingual-bicultural education, and several of their findings have raised questions about benefits of the approach. This study examined the level of educational attainment of 408 deaf individuals who attended primary school either before or during the period of bilingual-bicultural education in Denmark, both relative to a comparable hearing cohort. Beyond group comparisons, three logistic regression models were created to evaluate the prediction of educational attainment by a number of relevant variables. Compared to the hearing population, the deaf population had a significantly lower level of educational attainment both before and after the introduction of bilingual-bicultural education. Signed language and spoken language abilities, the kind of school attended, degree of hearing loss, parental hearing loss, and gender were found significantly to explain levels of educational attainment in the deaf population.

Latino Congregations and Youth Educational Expectations

Latinos constitute a large segment of the US population with relatively high levels of religious adherence and low levels of educational attainment vis-a-vis other racial and ethnic groups. Sociological findings on the relationship between religion and education are largely mixed. This chapter examines the gap between these two bodies of research denoting the positive and negative associations between religion and educational outcomes by analyzing the relationship between Latino youth congregational participation. It relates the educational expectations of Latino youth who attend Pentecostal, evangelical, and Catholic Latino congregations in the city of Chicago. Latino youth who attend congregations wherein post-secondary education is more common may have more opportunities to learn about educational opportunities from adults in the congregation. One of the primary intentions of this study is to explore the association between denominational affiliation and the educational expectations of Latino youth congregants.

Quality of life in epilepsy in Bhutan

PurposeTo assess the quality of life in epilepsy (QOLIE) among adults in the lower middle-income country of Bhutan and assess the potential demographic and clinical associations with better QOLIE. MethodsPeople with clinically diagnosed epilepsy were prospectively enrolled at the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital in Thimphu (2014–2015). Regression models were constructed to assess the potential impact of age, sex, residence in the capital city, wealth quintile, educational attainment, seizure in the prior year, seizures with loss of consciousness, self-reported stigma score, and need for multiple antiepileptic drugs. ResultsThe mean Bhutanese QOLIE-31 score among 172 adults (mean age 31.1 years, 93 female) was 48.9/100±17.7. Younger age, lower educational attainment level, and increased self-perceived stigma were each observed to have an independent, negative association with QOLIE (p<0.05), while a patient's wealth quintile, sex, seizure frequency, seizure type and number of antiepileptic drugs were not. Education appeared to be most strongly associated with QOL at the high school and college levels. ConclusionsThere are potentially modifiable associations with low QOLIE. Addressing the educational level and self-perceived stigma of PWE may have an especial impact. The low QOLIE in Bhutan may reflect cultural approaches to epilepsy, health services, or other factors including those outside of the health sector.

Utility of Point-of-care Urine Drug Tests in the Treatment of Primary Care Patients With Drug Use Disorders

To determine if urine drug tests (UDTs) can detect under-reporting of drug use (ie, negative self-report, but positive UDT) and identify patient characteristics associated with underreporting when treating substance use disorders in primary care. Self-reported use (last 30 d) and UDTs were gathered at baseline, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months from 829 primary care patients participating in a drug use intervention study. Rates of under-reporting were calculated for all drugs, cannabis, stimulants, opioids, and sedatives. Logistic regressions were used to identify characteristics associated with under-reporting. Among the participants, 40% (n = 331) denied drug use in the prior 30 days despite a corresponding positive UDT during at least 1 assessment. Levels of under-reporting during 1 or more assessments were 3% (n = 22) for cannabis, 20% (n = 167) for stimulants, 27% (n = 226) for opioids, and 13% (n = 106) for sedatives. Older (odds ratio [OR] 1.04), female (OR 1.66), or disabled (OR 1.42) individuals were more likely to under-report any drug use. Under-reporting of stimulant use was also more likely in individuals with lower levels of educational attainment, previous arrests, and family and social problems. Under-reporting of opioid use was more likely in those with other drug problems, but less likely in those with better physical health, more severe alcohol and psychiatric comorbidities, and African-Americans. With the exception of cannabis, UDTs are important assessment tools when treating drug use disorders in primary care. UDTs might be particularly helpful when treating patients who are older, female, disabled, have legal and social problems, and have more severe drug problems.