[Utility of MALT (Münchner Alkoholismus Test) questionnaire for detection of alcoholism in women].
OBJECTIVE
Patients identified as risk drinkers usually fill a questionnaire in order to assess their alcohol dependence. In our setting, the Münchner Alkoholismus Test (MALT) has been recommended, but there are not enough data about its validity and accuracy, particularly in women. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of this test in a female population.


METHODS
414 woman were recruited in a Health Center and a Specialized Center for addiction treatment. MALT test and the Schedule for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN) semistructured interview (gold standard; DSM-IV and CIE-10 criteria) were performed to all patients. Internal consistence, criteria validity and the most diagnostic efficacy cut-off point (ROC curves) were assessed.


RESULTS
The MALT average (standard deviation) score of the whole sample was 3.98 (9.48) points (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.07-4.90). Cronbach alpha was 0.939 (95% CI, 0.931-0.947). With a score of 4 or more points, the test had 100% (95% CI, 98.9-100) sensitivity and 95.4% (95% CI, 95.2-95.5) specificity.


CONCLUSIONS
The MALT test has an excellent internal reliability and extremely good diagnostic accuracy. It is very useful to detect alcohol dependence in women. A cut-off of 4 or more points is proposed.
Pérula de Torres
Luis Angel
LA
Hospital Regional Universitario Reina Sofía, Servicio Andaluz de Salud, Córdoba, Spain. langel.perula.sspa@juntadeandalucia.es
Fernández-García
José Angel
JA
Arias-Vega
Raquel
R
Muriel-Palomino
María
M
Márquez-Rebollo
Encarnación
E
Ruiz-Moral
Roger
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires