Psychometric Properties of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) in Public First Responders. (3rd July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jeong, Hyeonseok S.; Park, Shinwon; Lim, Soo Mee; Ma, Jiyoung; Kang, Ilhyang; Kim, Jungyoon; Kim, Eui-Jung; Choi, Yejee J.; Lim, Jae-ho; Chung, Yong-An; Lyoo, In Kyoon; Yoon, Sujung; Kim, Jieun E.
• Is Part Of: Substance use & misuse. Volume 52:Number 8(2017)
• Page Start: 1069
• Page End: 1075
• Publication Date: 2017-07-03
• Subjects: Alcohol use disorder -- first responder -- reliability -- receiver operating characteristic curve -- validity; Narcotic habit -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Behavior, Addictive -- Periodicals; Sustance-Related Disorders -- Periodicals; 362.2905
• DOI: 10.1080/10826084.2016.1271986
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1082-6084

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Problematic alcohol consumption is prevalent among first responders because alcohol is commonly used to cope with occupational stress and frequent exposure to traumatic incidents, making them an at-risk population for alcohol use disorders (AUD). This study investigated the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) among public first responders. The Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-IV-Text Revision (SCID), AUDIT-C, AUDIT, and CAGE were administered to 222 public first responders, who were recruited by convenience sampling. One-week test–retest reliability was evaluated in a subsample ( n = 24). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and estimate the optimal cut-off scores for any AUD and alcohol dependence. Three different analytic criteria were utilized to calculate the cut-off scores. The AUDIT-C demonstrated good test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient for test–retest reliability = 0.91) and satisfactory convergent validity. The areas under the ROC curves for any AUD and alcohol dependence of the AUDIT-C were 0.87 and 0.93, respectively. For any AUD, all three criteria suggested a cut-off score of 7.5 (sensitivity = 81.8%, specificity = 79.8%), whereas for alcohol dependence, a cut-off score of 8.5 (sensitivity = 85.7%, specificity = 86.1%) was derived from two criteria. In conclusion, the AUDIT-C demonstrated good reliability and validity and proved to be a brief and effective screening test for AUD among first responders.