Psychometric assessment of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System and the MOTHER NAS Scale.
The present study examined the psychometric characteristics of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (NASS; "Finnegan Scale") and the MOTHER NAS Scale (MNS).



Secondary analysis of data from 131 neonates from the Maternal Opioid Treatment: Human Experimental Research (MOTHER) study, a randomized trial in opioid-dependent pregnant women administered buprenorphine or methadone.



Both the NASS and MNS demonstrated poor psychometric properties, with internal consistency (Cronbach's αs) failing to exceed .62 at first administration, peak NAS score, and NAS treatment initiation.



Findings support the need for development of a NAS measure based on sound psychometric principles.



This study found that two frequently used measures of neonatal abstinence syndrome suffer inadequacies in regard to their basic measurement characteristics. (Am J Addict 2016;25:370-373).
UNC Horizons and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.|Departments of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
Hendrée E
HE
Jones
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Carl
C
Seashore
UNC Horizons and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Elisabeth
E
Johnson
UNC Horizons and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Evette
E
Horton
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland.
Kevin E
KE
O'Grady
UNC Horizons and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Kim
K
Andringa
Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut.
Matthew R
MR
Grossman
Department of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire.
Bonny
B
Whalen
Department of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire.
Alison Volpe
AV
Holmes
D000328:Adult; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D002047:Buprenorphine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008691:Methadone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D009357:Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015997:Neonatal Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D058850:Opiate Substitution Treatment / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D002047:Buprenorphine; D008691:Methadone