title: Construct validity of the MAST and AUDIT with multiple offender drunk drivers.
abstract: The construct validity of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in screening for current DSM-IV alcohol dependence disorders with persons convicted of multiple offenses of Driving Under the Influence (DUI) is evaluated. These tests were administered to 126 DUI offenders presenting for court-ordered inpatient treatment at an agency. DSM-IV alcohol disorders are evaluated for a representative subset of clients in this program using National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Surveys' DSM-IV Alcohol Dependence Diagnostic Criteria and Associated Questionnaire Items. Both instruments exhibit acceptable internal consistency. The MAST and The AUDIT correlate moderately well with each other (r=0.617). The MAST correlates more highly (r=0.602) than the AUDIT (r=0.432) with DSM-IV. Future research should examine if the results reported here apply to other multiple offender DUI programs. It is recommended that such programs employing test instruments evaluate their construct validity in a similar method.
authors.affiliation: Boston College Graduate School of Social Work, Ph.D. Program, McGuinn Hall, Chestnut Hill, MA 02167-3807, USA. ttconley@mediaone.net
authors.forename: T B
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Conley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000523:psychology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D001334:Automobile Driving; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010556:Personality Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012926:Social Control, Formal; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*