Presentation and validation of the Abbreviated Self Completion Teen-Addiction Severity Index (ASC T-ASI): A preference-based measure for use in health-economic evaluations

Abstract

Economic evaluations of new youth mental health interventions require preference-based outcome measures that capture the broad benefits these interventions can have for adolescents. The Abbreviated Self Completion Teen-Addiction Severity Index (ASC T-ASI) was developed to meet the need for such a broader measure. It assesses self reported problems in seven important domains of adolescents’ lives, including school performance and family relationships, and is intended for use in economic evaluations of relevant interventions. The aim of the current study was to present the ASC T-ASI and examine its validity as well as its ability to distinguish between adolescents with and without problems associated with substance use and delinquency. The validation study was conducted in a sample of adolescents (n = 167) aged 12–18 years, who received in- or outpatient care in a youth mental health and (enclosed) care facility in the Netherlands. To examine its feasibility, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity, respondents completed the ASC T-ASI, as well as the EQ-5D-3L and SDQ at baseline and after a two-week interval using a counterbalanced method. The ASC T-ASI descriptive system comprises seven domains: substance use, school, work, family, social relationships, justice, and mental health, each expressing self reported problems on a five-point Likert scale (ranging from having ‘no problem’ to having a ‘very large problem’). The majority of respondents (>70%) completed the ASC T-ASI within 10 minutes and appraised the questions as (very) easy and (very) comprehensible. Test-retest reliability was adequate (K w values 0.26–0.55). Correlations with the supplementary measures were moderate to high (r s 0.30–0.50), suggesting convergent validity. The ASC T-ASI is a promising and valid measure for assessing self reported problems in important domains in adolescents’ lives, allowing benefits beyond health and health-related quality of life to be included in economic evaluations of youth mental health interventions. Future studies of the ASC T-ASI should consider the comprehensiveness of its domains and sensitivity to change.

Obtaining preference scores for an abbreviated self-completion version of the Teen-Addiction Severity Index (ASC T-ASI) to value therapy outcomes of systemic family interventions: a discrete choice experiment

“…The Dutch translation of the ASC T-ASI [ 16 ; Appendix B] formed the basis for the current study and the preference-based measure. In this study, we used a DCE to obtain societal preference weights for all domains and levels of the ASC T-ASI instrument.…”

“…If not appropriately identified, measured, and valued, such broader effects may fall outside the scope of economic evaluations, risking mis-estimation of the benefits of systemic family interventions. Consequently, the results of economic evaluations may not reflect the actual value for money offered by these interventions and, potentially, result in non-optimal decisions concerning their reimbursement [ 10 , 15 , 16 ]. The results of this study aim to contribute to reducing this risk.…”

“…Some questions are directed at the patient while others ask the therapist to provide his or her judgment. In order to make the instrument suitable for use in economic evaluations, in which patients commonly report on their own functioning using a self-complete descriptive system, an abbreviated self-completion version of the T-ASI, the ASC T-ASI was created [ 16 ; see appendix A and B]. This abbreviated instrument was based on the main patient-reported questions from all domains of the T-ASI, reflecting the functioning of the patient as judged by him or herself.…”

“…The ASC T-ASI is a broad outcome measure, suitable for self-completion and use in economic evaluations. The ASC T-ASI was subsequently validated, with favorable results [ 16 ]. However, since societal preference scores for the ASC T-ASI are lacking, this study set out to obtain such scores, using a discrete choice experiment (DCE).…”

Multidimensional family therapy reduces problematic gaming in adolescents: A randomised controlled trial

“…Using the Abbreviated Self Completion Teen-Addiction Severity Index (Goorden, van der Schee, Hendriks, & Hakkaart-van Roijen, 2016;Reckers-Droog et al, 2020), we assessed the adolescent's quality of life for six topics or domains. We report here on one topic, i.e., gaming issues.…”