Substance Use Assessments

Question 1

CAGE questionnaire

Answer 1

a substance use screening that asks a series of four questions:
1) ever felt the need to Cut down on drinking?
2) ever become Annoyed when others ask you about your drinking?
3) ever felt Guilty about your drinking?
4) Ever needed an Eye opener to start the day?

a yes to any of these questions warrants additional assessment

Question 2

CAGE psychometrics

Answer 2

insufficient as it is susceptible to response bias

for adults and adolescents:
sensitivity: 75%
specificity: 92% (captures more people WITHOUT alcohol use disorder)

Question 3

Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST)

Answer 3

screening instrument for alcohol abuse that assesses substance use in one’s lifetime

interpretation: scores 5+ indicates alcoholism

highly sensitive instrument (.91 for cutoff of 13)

Question 4

Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

Answer 4

screening instrument for alcohol use in the past year that can be administered as an interview or self-report which measures alcohol consumption and alcohol consequences

Question 5

AUDIT psychometrics

Answer 5

good balance of both sensitivity (81%) and specificity (86%)

Question 6

AUDIT Score Interpretations: Zones of Risk Level

Answer 6

Zone 1: alcohol education (0-7)
Zone 2: simple advice (8-15)
–> may involve MI
Zone 3: brief counseling, continued monitory (16-19)
Zone 4: referral to specialist (20-40)