Comparative concurrent validities of five alcoholism measures in a psychiatric hospital

Abstract

The concurrent validities of five self‐report alcoholism measures were compared in a psychiatric hospital population using Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS) alcohol dependence module outputs as criterion. The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test was the most accurate identifier of alcohol dependence at some point in the subjectS' life, while the CAGE interview best identified alcohol dependence in the previous year. The correlations of a quantity‐frequency measure, the Clinical Signs checklist, and the Medical History questionnaire with DIS alcohol dependence module outputs were generally weaker. The data also suggested that cutting scores based on local norms may offer better hit rates in psychiatric settings than those proposed by the instrumentS' authors, but additional cross‐validations are needed to confirm that possibility.

Systematic Review of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test

“…Validity analyses included both external (convergent) and internal (structural) elements of the MAST scores. Convergent validity results presented a wide range of correlations (r = .01 to r = .95) across 45 substance use instruments (see Table 2), with the majority of convergent instruments having large effect sizes according to criteria set by Lipsey Systematic Review of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test Saltstone et al, 1994;Stover, Hall, et al, 2012;Stover, Urdahl, et al, 2012;Taylor & Kliewer, 2006;Teslak, 2000Drake et al, 1990Lee & DeFrank, 1988;Myerholtz & Rosenberg, 1997;Teslak, 2000;Watson et al, 1995;Wilson et al, 1988Barry & Fleming, 1993Bohn et al, 1995;Conley, 2001Barry & Fleming, 1993Barry & Fleming, 1993Barry & Fleming, 1993Gorelick et al, 1990Lee & DeFrank, 1988Forbey et al, 2012Myerholtz & Rosenberg, 1997Forbey et al, 2012Forbey et al, 2012Isaak et al, 2011Hunter, 2007Hunter, 2007Hunter, 2007Roque, 2006Westermeyer et al, 2004Greene, 2002Myerholtz & Rosenberg, 1997;Young, 2005Young, 2005Follman, 2012Teslak, 2000;Young, 2005Follman, 2012Teslak, 2000;…”

Alcohol and Drug Abuse Among Sexual and Nonsexual Offenders: Relationship to Intimacy Deficits and Coping Strategy

“…Each item is scored 0 or 1, with scores of 10 or more indicating evidence of having had a severe drinking problem at some point in one's life. The MAST has been found to have higher concurrent validity when compared to other alcoholism measures with reference to lifetime history of alcohol dependence (Watson, Detra, Fox, & Ewing, 1995). Elevated MAST scores have also been found to be associated with recidivism among various groups of sexual offenders (Firestone et al, 1998(Firestone et al, , 1999.…”

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST-C) for Patients With Alcoholism

“…Watson et al. () also suggested that 6/7 was the optimal cutoff point for the MAST, yielding a sensitivity of 0.92 and a specificity of 0.87. These findings are similar to the results of the present study, justifying an optimal cutoff point of 6/7 for the MAST‐C to identify patients with alcoholism.…”