2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Methodological Summary and Definitions

This report summarizes methods and other supporting information that are relevant to estimates of substance use and mental health issues from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual survey of the civilian, noninstitutionalized population of the United States aged 12 years old or older. This report is organized into six sections. Section A describes the survey, including information about the sample design, data collection procedures, and key aspects of data processing (e.g., development of analysis weights). Section B 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. A glossary that covers key definitions used in NSDUH reports and tables is included in Section C. Section D describes other sources of data on substance use and mental health issues, including data sources for populations outside the NSDUH target population. A list of references cited in the report (Section E) and contributors to this report (Section F) also are provided.