Historique
Article de Périodique
Optimal scaling of the CAST and of SDS Scale in a national sample of adolescents (2013)
Auteur(s) :
BASTIANI, L. ;
SICILIANO, V. ;
CURZIO, O. ;
LUPPI, C. ;
GORI, M. ;
GRASSI, M. ;
MOLINARO, S.
Année
2013
Page(s) :
2060-2067
Langue(s) :
Anglais
Domaine :
Drogues illicites / Illicit drugs
Discipline :
EPI (Epidémiologie / Epidemiology)
Thésaurus mots-clés
CAST
;
PSYCHOMETRIE
;
ADOLESCENT
;
DEPISTAGE
;
ECHELLE D'EVALUATION
;
CANNABIS
;
TEST
;
QUESTIONNAIRE
;
ESPAD
;
VALIDITE
;
METHODE
Thésaurus géographique
ITALIE
Résumé :
PURPOSE: Psychometric and screening properties of the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) and of the Severity Dependence Scale (SDS) were investigated using DSM-IV diagnoses of cannabis dependence (CD) as external criteria. Performance of the SDS and of the CAST were compared.
METHODS: Cross-sectional European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) was carried out in Italy in 2009. The sample consisted of 5787 Italian adolescents aged 15-19 who reported cannabis last year use. Uni-dimensionality, internal reliability, external validity, and optimal scaling of the 6 items for CAST and 5 items for SDS were performed. The Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) was used as a gold standard for DSM-IV diagnoses, and all outputs were assessed by 10-fold cross validation procedure.
RESULTS: Both scales were uni-dimensional and Cronbach's alpha was 0.74 for SDS and 0.78 for CAST. High and comparable area under curve (AUC) values indicate a good ability of both scales to discriminate between individuals with and without dependence diagnosis. Based on balanced sensitivity and specificity, the optimal cut-off scores for problematic use disorders were 7 for CAST MCA and 4 for SDS MCA. Both CAST and SDS overestimated CD prevalence.
CONCLUSIONS: The CAST and SDS are equally useful for screening for problematic cannabis use disorders. Both clinical and research applications of the scales are possible.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• A new scoring methodology for SDS and CAST screening questionnaire was proposed.
• This is the study with the highest number of adolescents screened.
• Optimal scaling of the 6 items for CAST and 5 items for SDS were performed.
• The CAST and SDS are equally useful for screening for problematic cannabis use.
• CAST MCA scoring version has better known-groups criterion validity.
METHODS: Cross-sectional European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) was carried out in Italy in 2009. The sample consisted of 5787 Italian adolescents aged 15-19 who reported cannabis last year use. Uni-dimensionality, internal reliability, external validity, and optimal scaling of the 6 items for CAST and 5 items for SDS were performed. The Munich Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI) was used as a gold standard for DSM-IV diagnoses, and all outputs were assessed by 10-fold cross validation procedure.
RESULTS: Both scales were uni-dimensional and Cronbach's alpha was 0.74 for SDS and 0.78 for CAST. High and comparable area under curve (AUC) values indicate a good ability of both scales to discriminate between individuals with and without dependence diagnosis. Based on balanced sensitivity and specificity, the optimal cut-off scores for problematic use disorders were 7 for CAST MCA and 4 for SDS MCA. Both CAST and SDS overestimated CD prevalence.
CONCLUSIONS: The CAST and SDS are equally useful for screening for problematic cannabis use disorders. Both clinical and research applications of the scales are possible.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• A new scoring methodology for SDS and CAST screening questionnaire was proposed.
• This is the study with the highest number of adolescents screened.
• Optimal scaling of the 6 items for CAST and 5 items for SDS were performed.
• The CAST and SDS are equally useful for screening for problematic cannabis use.
• CAST MCA scoring version has better known-groups criterion validity.
Affiliation :
Institute of Clinical Physiology of the Italian National Research Council (IFC-CNR), Pisa, Italy