Validation of an online version of the alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT) for alcohol screening in spanish university students

Online alcohol screening may be helpful in preventing alcohol use disorders. We assessed psychometric properties of an online version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among Spanish university students. We used a longitudinal online survey (the UNIVERSAL project) of first-year...

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Authors: Ballester, Laura; Alayo, Itxaso; Vilagut Saiz, Gemma, 1975-; Almenara, José; Cebrià, Ana Isabel; Echeburúa, Enrique; Gabilondo Cuéllar, Andrea; Gili, Margalida; Lagares, Carolina; Piqueras, José Antonio; Roca, Miquel; Soto-Sanz, Victoria; Blasco Cubedo, Maria Jesús; Castellví, Pere; García Forero, Carlos; Mortier, Philippe; Alonso Caballero, Jordi; UNIVERSAL study group
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2021
Country:España
Institution:Universitat Pompeu Fabra
Repository:Repositorio Digital de la UPF
OAI Identifier:oai:repositori.upf.edu:10230/47762
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10230/47762
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105213
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)
Online survey
University students
Validity
Summary:Online alcohol screening may be helpful in preventing alcohol use disorders. We assessed psychometric properties of an online version of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) among Spanish university students. We used a longitudinal online survey (the UNIVERSAL project) of first-year students (18-24 years old) in five universities, including the AUDIT, as part of the WHO World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) initiative. A reappraisal interview was carried out with the Timeline Followback (TLFB) for alcohol consumption categories and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for alcohol use disorder. Reliability, construct validity and diagnostic accuracy were assessed. Results: 287 students (75% women) completed the MINI, of whom 242 also completed the TLFB. AUDIT's Cronbach's alpha was 0.82. The confirmatory factor analysis for the one-factor solution of the AUDIT showed a good fit to the data. Significant AUDIT score differences were observed by TLFB categories and by MINI disorders. Areas under the curve (AUC) were very large for dependence (AUC = 0.96) and adequate for consumption categories (AUC > 0.7). AUDIT cut-off points of 6/8 (women/men) for moderate-risk drinking and 13 for alcohol dependence showed sensitivity/specificity of 76.2%/78.9% and 56%/97.5%, respectively. The online version of the AUDIT is useful for detecting alcohol consumption categories and alcohol dependence in Spanish university students.

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