%0 Journal Article
%T Stability of the alcohol use disorders identification test in practical service settings
%J Substance abuse and rehabilitation
%D 2017
%A Sahker, Ethan
%A Lancianese, Donna A.
%A Arndt, Stephan
%V 8
%N 
%P 1-8
%X OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the present study is to explore the stability of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a clinical setting by comparing prescreening heavy drinking questions and AUDIT scores over time. Because instrument stability is equal to test-retest reliability at worst, investigating the stability of the AUDIT would help better understand patient behavior change in context and the appropriateness of the AUDIT in a clinical setting. <br><br>METHODS: This was a retrospective exploratory analysis of Visit 1 to Visit 2 AUDIT stability (n=1,099; male [75.4%], female [24.6%]) from all patients with first-time and second-time records in the Iowa Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment project, October 2012 to July 7, 2015 (N=17,699; male [40.6%], female [59.4%]). <br><br>RESULTS: The AUDIT demonstrated moderate stability (intraclass correlation=0.56, 95% confidence interval: 0.52-0.60). In a multiple regression predicting the (absolute) difference between the two AUDIT scores, the participants' age was highly significant, t(1,092)=6.23, p<0.001. Younger participants clearly showed less stability than their older counterparts. <br><br>RESULTS are limited/biased by the observational nature of the study design and the use of clinical service data. <br><br>CONCLUSION: The present findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating that the AUDIT changes are moderately dependable from Visit 1 to Visit 2 while taking into account patient drinking behavior variability. It is important to know the stability of the AUDIT for continued use in Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment programming.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I Dove Press
%@ 1179-8467
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S126664