Methodology and Demographics of a Brief Adolescent Alcohol Screen Validation Study

Abstract

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) 2-question alcohol screen within 16 Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network pediatric emergency departments. This article describes the study methodology, sample characteristics, and baseline outcomes of the NIAAA 2-question screen. Methods Participants included 12- to 17-year-olds treated in one of the participating pediatric emergency departments across the United States. After enrollment, a criterion assessment battery including the NIAAA 2-question screen and other measures of alcohol, drug use, and risk behavior was self-administered by participants on a tablet computer. Two subsamples were derived from the sample. The first subsample was readministered the NIAAA 2-question screen 1 week after their initial visit to assess test-retest reliability. The second subsample is being reassessed at 12 and 24 months to examine predictive validity of the NIAAA 2-question screen. Results There were 4834 participants enrolled into the study who completed baseline assessments. Participants were equally distributed across sex and age. Forty-six percent of the participants identified as white, and 26% identified as black. Approximately one quarter identified as Hispanic. Using the NIAAA 2-question screen algorithm, approximately 8% were classified as low risk, 12% were classified as moderate risk, and 4% were classified as highest risk. Alcohol use was less likely to be reported by black participants, non-Hispanic participants, and those younger than 16 years. Discussion This study successfully recruited a large, demographically diverse sample to establish rates of the NIAAA screen risk categories across age, sex, ethnicity, and race within pediatric emergency departments.

Reliability and Validity of the Newton Screen for Alcohol and Cannabis Misuse in a Pediatric Emergency Department Sample

“…The present study examined the reliability and validity of another potential brief screening option, the Newton et al screening instrument, in the ED setting using a multicenter design. The study sample was substantively larger than previous studies designed to test validity of alcohol screening instruments in adolescents 21,[27][28][29] , and was racially, ethnically and geographically diverse 13,18 .…”

“…Due to the potential legal implications of illicit alcohol or drug use, a Certificate of Confidentiality was obtained from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The research protocol has been described in a previously published manuscript 18 .…”

Problem Behaviors and Psychological Distress Among Teens Seen in a National Sample of Emergency Departments

“…As described elsewhere, 15 5001 adolescents completed the baseline survey. Mean age was 14.5 years (SD 1.7).…”

“…This was a planned sub-analysis of the full sample of baseline data from a larger study. 15 Each site received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval prior to study enrollment. A Certificate of Confidentiality was obtained from the US Department of Health and Human Services to protect adolescent participants against potential legal implications of self-reported problem behaviors.…”

“…After parental consent and adolescent assent, adolescents used a tablet computer to self-administer a battery of measures on substance use as well as problematic and risky behavior. Procedures have been previously described in Bromberg et al 15…”