Differential attrition rates in alcohol abusing and nonabusing schizophrenic inpatients: a methodological note.

This study investigates the impact of the screening process on the composition of the final sample of alcohol abusing and nonabusing hospitalized schizophrenics. The group of nonabusing schizophrenics had higher rates of study rejections by staff, refusals, inappropriate subjects, and a lower rate of study completers. The findings suggest that these differential attrition rates may have a significant impact on the interpretation of results of studies focusing on substance use in schizophrenic samples.