2018 NSDUH Methodology Resources

The 2018 Methodological Summary and Definitions report summarizes the information users need to properly interpret NSDUH estimates related to substance use and mental health. This report provides information on overall methodology, key definitions for terms used in 2018 NSDUH reports, and analyses of these measures and of the survey as a whole. The report is organized into five chapters:

• Chapter 1 is an introduction to the report.
• Chapter 2 describes the survey, including information about the sample design; data collection procedures; and key aspects of data processing, such as development of analysis weights.
• Chapter 3 presents technical details on the statistical methods and measurement, such as suppression criteria for unreliable estimates, statistical testing procedures, and issues for selected substance use and mental health measures.
• Chapter 4 covers special topics related to prescription psychotherapeutic drugs.
• Chapter 5 describes other sources of data on substance use and mental health issues, including data sources for populations outside the NSDUH target population.
• Appendix A is a glossary that covers key definitions for use as a resource with the 2018 NSDUH reports and detailed tables. 
• Appendix B provides a list of contributors to the report.

Use this collection to provide context for estimates from NSDUH. This collection includes materials used to conduct the survey, reports on how the survey was conducted, and reports on how the data were processed. The Statistical Inference Report details how the data were analyzed for reports and tables, which may be useful for data users looking to do their own analysis.

New items are added to the collection as they become available, so resources published in a previous MRB may not yet be available for this year. However, there are generally few changes from year to year. A report from a previous year may have the information you are looking for.