Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 15601-15602 [2024-04429]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 43 (Monday, March 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15601-15602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04429]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

    In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 concerning opportunity for public comment on proposed 
collections of information, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration (SAMHSA) will publish periodic summaries of 
proposed projects. To request more information on the proposed projects 
or to obtain a copy of the information collection plans, call the 
SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer on (240) 276-0361.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collections of 
information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions 
of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology; (e) of the addition of data collection 
in the U.S. Territories; and (f) implications and feedback on proposing 
to change the name of the survey.

Proposed Project: National Survey on Drug Use and Health (OMB No. 0930-
0110)

    The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) is a survey of 
the U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized population aged 12 years old 
or older. The data are used to provide estimates of substance use and 
mental illness at the national, state, and substate levels. NSDUH data 
also help to identify the extent of substance use and mental illness 
among different subgroups, estimate trends over time, and determine the 
need for treatment services. The results are used by SAMHSA, the Office 
of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), Federal Government agencies, 
and other organizations and researchers to establish policy, direct 
program activities, and better allocate resources.
    For the 2025 NSDUH, SAMHSA is proposing to change the name of the 
study to the National Household Survey on Behavioral Health (NHSBH) to 
emphasize the inclusion of the long-standing mental health-related 
survey elements and to clarify for key stakeholders the full content of 
the survey's questions and data. The proposed name change will 
facilitate participant, researcher, and public understanding that the 
NSDUH is focused on both drug use but also mental health. The current 
name of the survey does not specifically capture questionnaire items 
across substance use and mental health, both separately and as co-
occurring conditions. In addition, the name change will better align 
the survey with SAMHSA's mission.
    The survey's name is currently well recognized by those in the 
community, states, and academia, and this recognition comes from the 
quality of the information provided. The continuing excellence of the 
information provided is anticipated to re-establish the recognition of 
the survey with the new name. It is anticipated that changing the name 
of the survey will highlight mental health components.
    SAMHSA is committed to addressing any concerns with a name change 
that may lead to confusion and/or misperception among some stakeholders 
and the general public, which could affect participation in the survey, 
misinterpretation of changes with the survey's content or purpose, or 
difficulty locating the pertinent information about the study's 
results. Nonetheless, these potential stakeholder responses and 
challenges will be addressed by emphasizing the significance of a name 
that reflects the complete content of the survey. A new name may also 
facilitate discussions on substance use and co-occurring mental health 
disorders.
    Efforts will be made to promote, market, and educate about the 
quality and applicability of the results. These efforts may spark 
renewed interest in the survey and the uptake of the results in 
publications and reports.
    As with all NSDUH/NHSDA \1\ surveys conducted since 1999, the 
sample size of the NSDUH main study for 2025 will be sufficient to 
permit prevalence estimates for each of the fifty states and the 
District of Columbia. The total annual burden estimate for the NSDUH 
main study is shown below in Table 1.
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    \1\ Prior to 2002, the NSDUH was referred to as the National 
Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA).

[[Page 15602]]



                               Table 1--Annualized Estimated Burden for 2025 NSDUH
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                                     Number of     Responses per   Total number      Hours per     Total burden
           Instrument               respondents     respondent     of responses      response          hours
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Household Screening.............         285,894               1         285,894           0.083          23,729
Interview.......................          67,507               1          67,507           1.008          68,047
Screening Verification..........           6,004               1           6,004           0.067             402
Interview Verification..........           7,088               1           7,088           0.067             475
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    Total.......................         366,493  ..............         366,493  ..............          92,653
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Exploratory Pilot Testing in the U.S. Territories

    SAMHSA is interested in expanding NSDUH data collection to include 
U.S. territories. This will involve conducting several pilot tests and 
implementing a phased approach before expanding data collection full 
scale into the U.S. Territories. The initial phase will explore 
logistical considerations in Puerto Rico and in the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, followed by various data collection pilot efforts that will 
assess the ease or difficulty with recruiting field staff, potential 
travel difficulties due to terrain, internet reliability, differences 
in address conventions, language dialect differences, and differences 
in demographic characteristics. The results of the pilot testing will 
provide SAMHSA with insights into the feasibility of successfully 
conducting full-scale data collection in future NSDUH surveys.

Mental Illness Calibration Study

    In addition, the Mental Illness Calibration Study (MICS) will 
continue to be embedded within the NSDUH main study for the remainder 
of 2024 to recalibrate the estimates of serious mental illness (SMI) 
for the NSDUH using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental 
Disorders (DSM), fifth edition (DSM-5) criteria published by the 
American Psychiatric Association (APA). The 2023 and 2024 MICS will be 
sampled from the main study NSDUH using completed mental health items 
as screeners.
    During MICS data collection from January 2023 through December 
2024, approximately 17,180 NSDUH adult main study interview respondents 
(aged 18+) will be selected for a follow-up clinical interview at the 
end of the main study interview in order to produce a final sample size 
of at least 4,000 adult MICS follow-up clinical interviews (2,000 
interviews per year). These follow-up clinical interviews will be 
conducted virtually via Zoom (video and/or phone) within four weeks 
following the NSDUH main study interview using the NetSCID, a 
computerized version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 
(SCID) that calculates skip logic in real-time based on responses.
    Many of the procedures and protocols in the MICS are based upon 
those previously employed as part of the 2008-2012 NSDUH Mental Health 
Surveillance Study (approved as an add-on to NSDUH under OMB No. 0930-
0110). The total annual burden for the 2023 and 2024 MICS was approved 
under previous NSDUH ICRs (OMB No. 0930-0110).
    Send comments to Carlos Graham, SAMHSA Reports Clearance Officer, 
5600 Fisher Lane, Room 15E57A, Rockville, MD 20852 or email him a copy 
at [email protected]. Written comments should be received by 
May 3, 2024.

Alicia Broadus,
Public Health Advisor.
[FR Doc. 2024-04429 Filed 3-1-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P