Co-occurring psychosocial distress and substance abuse in community clients: initial validity and reliability of self-report measures

A systematic review of validity of US survey measures for assessing substance use and substance use disorders

BACKGROUND

The steep rise in substance use and substance use disorder (SUD) shows an urgency to assess its prevalence using valid measures. This systematic review summarizes the validity of measures to assess the prevalence of substance use and SUD in the US estimated in population and sub-population-based surveys.

METHODS

A literature search was performed using nine online databases. Studies were included in the review if they were published in English and tested the validity of substance use and SUD measures among US adults at the general or sub-population level. Independent reviews were conducted by the authors to complete data synthesis and assess the risk of bias.

RESULTS

Overall, 46 studies validating substance use/SUD (n = 46) measures were included in this review, in which 63% were conducted in clinical settings and 89% assessed the validity of SUD measures. Among the studies that assessed SUD screening measures, 78% examined a generic SUD measure, and the rest screened for specific disorders. Almost every study used a different survey measure. Overall, sensitivity and specificity tests were conducted in over a third of the studies for validation, and 10 studies used receiver operating characteristics curve.

CONCLUSION

Findings suggest a lack of standardized methods in surveys measuring and reporting prevalence of substance use/SUD among US adults. It highlights a critical need to develop short measures for assessing SUD that do not require lengthy, time-consuming data collection that would be difficult to incorporate into population-based surveys assessing a multitude of health dimensions.

SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION

PROSPERO CRD42022298280.

Does it Matter What We Drink? Beverage Type Preference Predicts Specific Alcohol-Related Negative Consequences Among College Students

BACKGROUND

College student substance use has been a problem for many years. In particular, heavy alcohol consumption can create issues with academics, social relationships, and overall functioning. Unitary measures of generic alcohol consumption (e.g., drinking frequency) are important predictors of alcohol-related negative consequences, but the small amount of specific-beverage research available suggests that assessing beverage type consumed may enhance prediction.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of the present study was to expand knowledge of alcoholic beverage preference in relation to negative consequences and confirm the factor structure of the RAPI proposed by Martens et al. ( 2007 ) in a college student sample.

METHODS

In addition, the present study expanded current knowledge by assessing beverage preference type in relation to specific negative consequences on the RAPI.

RESULTS

Results replicated the three-factor structure originally found by Martens et al. ( 2007 ). Moreover, results found that individuals consuming shots of liquor or alcohol mixed with caffeine reported higher overall RAPI scores and higher scores on the Abuse/Dependence and Personal Consequences factors but not the Social Consequences factor than those consuming mixed drinks, beer, or wine. Conclusions/Importance: This research might inform discussions with incoming college freshman about not only alcohol consumption and negative consequences but the dangers of drinking specific types of alcohol beverages such as shots and/or alcohol mixed with caffeine.

Impact of Family History in Persons With Dual Diagnosis

OBJECTIVE

This study examined relationships among family history of alcohol, drug, and psychiatric problems and substance use severity, interpersonal relationships, and service use in individuals with dual diagnosis.

METHODS

Data were collected with the family history section of the Addiction Severity Index administered as part of three studies of individuals with dual disorders (N=413). Participants were categorized into family history risk groups for each problem domain based on the number of first and second degree relatives with alcohol, drug, or psychiatric problems.

RESULTS

Rates of alcohol, drug, and psychiatric problems were high across family member categories and highest overall for siblings. Over two-thirds of the sample was categorized in the high-risk group in the alcohol problem domain, almost half of the sample was categorized as high-risk in the drug problem domain, and over a third of the sample was categorized as high-risk in the psychiatric problem domain. Across problem domains, individuals in the high-risk group reported more relationship problems with parents and siblings and higher rates of lifetime emotional, physical, and sexual abuse than did those in the low or moderate-risk groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Family history of alcohol, drug, and psychiatric problems is associated with greater rates of poor family relationships and history of abuse. Assessment of these different forms of family history in multiple family members can aid treatment providers in identifying individuals with dual disorders who may benefit from trauma-informed care as part of their overall mental health and substance abuse treatment services.

A literature review to assess the reliability and validity of measures appropriate for use in research to evaluate the efficacy of a brief harm reduction strategy in reducing cannabis use among people with schizophrenia in acute inpatient settings

There is a growing body of evidence looking at the effects of cannabis use on those with schizophrenia with concerning results. This has led to the development of a number of interventions that are intended to improve outcomes for this client group. However, the methodological quality of some dual diagnosis research has been questioned in reviews for using outcome measures that are not tested as reliable and valid in the population for which they are intended for use. This literature review assesses the self-report measures that have been reliability and validity tested in populations of people with schizophrenia who use cannabis and reports on their appropriateness for use in further research studies. An overview of the most appropriate biochemical tests for cannabis is also given.