App-Based Addiction Prevention at German Vocational Schools: Implementation and Reach for a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

This article examines the implementation, participation rates, and potential determinants of participation in the digital addiction prevention program "ready4life." A two-arm cluster-randomized trial recruited German vocational students via class-based strategies. Intervention group received 16 weeks of in-app coaching; the control group received health behavior information, with coaching offered after 12 months. Potential determinants of participation were analyzed based on class and individual characteristics. Out of 525 contacted schools, 35 participated, enrolling 376 classes. Implementation during the pandemic required flexible adjustments, with 49.7% of introductions conducted in person, 43.1% digitally via online streaming, and 7.2% received a video link via email. Despite challenges, 72.3% of the vocational students downloaded the app, and 46.7% gave informed consent. Participation rates were highest among (associate) professionals, vocational grammar school classes, classes introduced by females, younger individuals, members of the project team, and classes introduced face-to-face. Female gender, lower social competencies, lifetime cannabis use, higher problematic internet use, and higher perceived stress were associated with higher individual participation. The study highlights the importance of proactive outreach and personalized interventions for addiction prevention programs in vocational schools. While reached students aligned with the aims of the app, tailored recruitment strategies could enhance engagement among under-represented groups. The trial was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS): DRKS00022328; registration date 09.10.2020.

Longitudinal measurement invariance of the patient health questionnaire in a German sample.

BACKGROUND: The Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) is a screening questionnaire of depressive symptoms. However, it is unknown whether it is equivalent across time and between groups of individuals. The aim of our paper was to test whether the PHQ-8 has the same meaning in two groups of individuals over time. METHODS: Primary care patients were proactively recruited from three German cities. PHQ-8 data from a baseline assessment (n = 588), two assessments during the intervention (n = 246/225), and a six (n = 437) and 12 months (n = 447) follow-up assessment were first used to examine the factor structure of the PHQ-8 by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The best fitting factor solution was then used to test longitudinal invariance across time and between intervention and control group by Multiple Group CFA. RESULTS: A two-factor structure consistently showed the best model fit. Only configural longitudinal invariance was evidenced when the baseline assessment was included in the analysis. Without the baseline assessment, strict longitudinal invariance was shown across the intervention and the follow-up assessments. Scalar invariance was established between the intervention and control group for the baseline assessment and strict invariance between groups and across the 6- and 12-month follow-up assessments. CONCLUSIONS: The lack of longitudinal invariance might be attributed to various differences between the baseline assessments and all following assessments, e.g., assessment mode (iPad vs telephone), potential changes in symptom perception, and setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: DRKS0001163 5, date of trial registration: 20.01.2017; DRKS00011637 , date of trial registration: 25.01.2017.

Feasibility and Acceptability of an Intervention Providing Computer-Generated Tailored Feedback to Target Alcohol Consumption and Depressive Symptoms in Proactively Recruited Health Care Patients and Reactively Recruited Media Volunteers: Results of a Pilot Study.

BACKGROUND: A pre-post pilot study was conducted to test the feasibility, acceptability, and potential effectiveness of a fully automatized computer-based intervention targeting hazardous drinking and depressiveness in proactively recruited health care patients (HCPs). To address the importance of the sample selection when testing interventions, HCPs were compared to media recruited volunteers (MVs). METHOD: In a multicenter screening program 2,773 HCPs were screened for hazardous drinking and depressive symptoms. MVs were recruited via media solicitation. Over a period of 6 months, study participants received 6 individualized counseling letters and weekly short messages. Pre-post data were analyzed for 30 participants (15 HCPs, 15 MVs). Intervention acceptability was assessed in post-intervention interviews conducted with 32 study participants. RESULTS: MVs showed higher problem severity and motivation to change than HCPs. Over the course of the intervention both subsamples reduced regular binge drinking (HCPs: p = 0.016; MVs: p = 0.031) and depressiveness (HCPs: p = 0.020; MVs: p < 0.001). MVs further reduced average daily alcohol consumption (p = 0.034). The intervention received positive ratings from both subsamples, the alcohol module was rated more favorably by MVs than by HCPs (p = 0.012). Subsamples further differed in terms of intervention usage (p = 0.013). CONCLUSION: The intervention was technically and logistically feasible, well accepted, and may have the potential to reduce hazardous drinking and depressive symptoms in different populations. Subsamples differed in terms of problem severity, motivation to change, intervention usage, pre-post changes, and attitudes toward the intervention, showing that intervention development should involve the intended target populations to avoid biased conclusions on intervention effectiveness and acceptability.

Association between Alcohol Consumption and Health-Related Quality of Life among Hospital and Ambulatory Care Patients with Past Year Depressive Symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how substance use affects health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in depressed individuals. Here, associations between alcohol consumption and HRQOL in hospital and ambulatory care patients with past-year depressive symptoms are analyzed. METHOD: The sample consisted of 590 participants (26.8% non-drinkers) recruited via consecutive screenings. Individuals with alcohol use disorders were excluded. HRQOL was assessed with the Veterans Rand 12-item health survey (VR-12). Multivariable fractional polynomials (MFP) regression analyses were conducted (1) to test for non-linear associations between average daily consumption and HRQOL and (2) to analyze associations between alcohol consumption and the physical and mental health component summaries of the VR-12 and their subdomains. RESULTS: Alcohol consumption was positively associated with the physical health component summary of the VR-12 (p = 0.001) and its subdomains general health (p = 0.006), physical functioning (p < 0.001), and bodily pain (p = 0.017), but not with the mental health component summary (p = 0.941) or any of its subdomains. Average daily alcohol consumption was not associated with HRQOL. CONCLUSION: Alcohol consumption was associated with better physical HRQOL. Findings do not justify ascribing alcohol positive effects on HRQOL. Data indicate that non-drinkers may suffer from serious health disorders. The results of this study can inform the development of future alcohol- and depression-related interventions.

Latent alcohol use patterns and their link to depressive symptomatology in medical care patients.

AIMS: To investigate latent patterns of alcohol use and bingeing by gender and their association with depressive symptom severity and individual depressive symptoms. DESIGN: Cross-sectional data were collected from January 2017 to March 2018 as part of a joint screening recruiting for different intervention studies. SETTING: Ambulatory practices and general hospitals from three sites in Germany. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 5208 male and 5469 female proactively recruited alcohol users aged 18-64 years. MEASUREMENTS: Frequency and typical quantity of alcohol use, frequency of bingeing, alcohol-related problems (assessed by the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test); depressive symptom severity, individual depressive symptoms (assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-8); and socio-demographics and health-related variables. FINDINGS: Latent categorical analysis identified six patterns of alcohol use, with the majority of patients engaging in 'light use plus no or occasional bingeing' (males: 41.85%; females: 64.04%), followed by 'regular use plus occasional bingeing' (males: 34.03%; females: 16.17%). Multinomial logistic regression analyses (three-step approach with correction for classification uncertainty, as implemented in the Mplus R3STEP command) controlling for socio-demographics and health-related variables revealed that severity of depressive symptoms was positively associated with 'frequent use plus frequent bingeing' when compared with 'light use plus no or occasional bingeing' [relative risk ratio (RRR)male  = 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.11; RRRfemale  = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.04-1.14]. Severity of depressive symptoms was negatively associated with 'regular use plus occasional bingeing' for males (RRRmale  = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.95-1.00) and positively with 'occasional use plus occasional bingeing' for females (RRRfemale  = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01-1.05) when compared with 'light use plus no or occasional bingeing'. Individual depressive symptoms were differentially associated with alcohol use patterns, with depressed mood, poor appetite or overeating, feelings of worthlessness or guilt and psychomotor agitation or retardation, being especially pronounced in the 'frequent use plus frequent bingeing' class (RRRsmale  = 1.72-2.36; RRRsfemale  = 1.99-2.17). CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of 'frequent alcohol use plus frequent bingeing' and 'occasional alcohol use plus occasional bingeing' appear to have positive associations with depression when compared with 'light alcohol use plus no or occasional bingeing'.

Copattern of depression and alcohol use in medical care patients: cross-sectional study in Germany.

OBJECTIVE: To predict depressive symptom severity and presence of major depression along the full alcohol use continuum. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Ambulatory practices and general hospitals from three sites in Germany. PARTICIPANTS: Consecutive patients aged 18-64 years were proactively approached for an anonymous health screening (participation rate=87%, N=12 828). Four continuous alcohol use measures were derived from an expanded Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT): alcohol consumption in grams per day and occasion, excessive consumption in days per months and the AUDIT sum score. Depressive symptoms were assessed for the worst 2-week period in the last 12 months using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-8). Negative binomial and logistic regression analyses were used to predict depressive symptom severity (PHQ-8 sum score) and presence of major depression (PHQ-8 sum score≥10) by the alcohol use measures. RESULTS: Analyses revealed that depressive symptom severity and presence of major depression were significantly predicted by all alcohol use measures after controlling for sociodemographics and health behaviours (p<0.05). The relationships were curvilinear: lowest depressive symptom severity and odds of major depression were found for alcohol consumptions of 1.1 g/day, 10.5 g/occasion, 1 excessive consumption day/month, and those with an AUDIT score of 2. Higher depressive symptom severity and odds of major depression were found for both abstinence from and higher levels of alcohol consumption. Interaction analyses revealed steeper risk increases in women and younger individuals for most alcohol use measures. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that alcohol use and depression in medical care patients are associated in a curvilinear manner and that moderation by gender and age is present.

Diagnostic performance of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in detecting DSM-5 alcohol use disorders in the General population.

OBJECTIVE: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is an established screening questionnaire for the detection of at-risk drinking and possible alcohol use disorders (AUD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - fourth edition (DSM-IV). But there are still no comparable results on the diagnostic performance regarding the new criteria for AUD in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - fifth edition (DSM-5), especially taking account of possible gender differences. We evaluated the performance of the full AUDIT and the consumption questions (AUDIT-C) in screening for DSM-5 AUD and at-risk drinking. METHOD: Data from the study Transitions in Alcohol Consumption and Smoking (TACOS) is used to analyze the area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve, sensitivity, and specificity of the AUDIT and the AUDIT-C in the general population of northern Germany. DSM-5 AUD and at-risk drinking were assessed with the Munich-Composite Diagnostic Interview and used as gold standards. RESULTS: The best balance between sensitivity and specificity is achieved at a score of 5 for men and 4 for women. High severity, according to DSM-5, were associated with higher cut-offs. CONCLUSIONS: Both AUDIT versions are accurate in the screening for DSM-5 AUD. Since the proposed cut-offs do not differ from the optimal screening cut-offs for DSM-IV disorders, current screening procedures should not face major changes.

Proactive multipurpose health risk screening in health care settings: Methods, design, and reach.

OBJECTIVES: Real world implementation of proactive screening and brief intervention in health care is threatened by high cost. Using e-health interventions and screening for multiple health risk factors may provide more efficiency. We describe methodological details of a proactive multipurpose health risk screening in health care settings and report on participation rates, participants' characteristics, and participation factors. METHODS: Patients between 18 and 64 years from ambulatory practices and hospitals were proactively approached by study assistants at three sites for a computerized screening on harmful alcohol and tobacco consumption, depressive symptoms, insufficient fruit/vegetable consumption, physical inactivity and overweight. On the basis of their health risk pattern, a computerized algorithm allocated patients to one of five studies each of them addressing a psychiatric research question. RESULTS: Among all eligible patients, 13,763 (86.5%) were screened. Younger age and being female predicted screening participation. Of those with complete data (n = 12,828), 82.9% reported at least two health risks and 34.0% were eligible for a study. Study participation ranged between 35.2% and 50.8%, and was associated with socio-demographics and problem severity. CONCLUSIONS: This study supports the use of systematic proactive screening for multiple health risks in health care settings as it is more resource-saving than single focused screening.

Knowledge Is Power for Medical Assistants: Crystallized and Fluid Intelligence As Predictors of Vocational Knowledge.

Medical education research has focused almost entirely on the education of future physicians. In comparison, findings on other health-related occupations, such as medical assistants, are scarce. With the current study, we wanted to examine the knowledge-is-power hypothesis in a real life educational setting and add to the sparse literature on medical assistants. Acquisition of vocational knowledge in vocational education and training (VET) was examined for medical assistant students (n = 448). Differences in domain-specific vocational knowledge were predicted by crystallized and fluid intelligence in the course of VET. A multiple matrix design with 3 year-specific booklets was used for the vocational knowledge tests of the medical assistants. The unique and joint contributions of the predictors were investigated with structural equation modeling. Crystallized intelligence emerged as the strongest predictor of vocational knowledge at every stage of VET, while fluid intelligence only showed weak effects. The present results support the knowledge-is-power hypothesis, even in a broad and more naturalistic setting. This emphasizes the relevance of general knowledge for occupations, such as medical assistants, which are more focused on learning hands-on skills than the acquisition of academic knowledge.

Measurement invariance of the alcohol use disorders identification test: Establishing its factor structure in different settings and across gender.

INTRODUCTION: The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is an internationally well-established screening tool for the assessment of hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption. To be valid for group comparisons, the AUDIT should measure the same latent construct with the same structure across groups. This is determined by measurement invariance. So far, measurement invariance of the AUDIT has rarely been investigated. We analyzed measurement invariance across gender and samples from different settings (i.e., inpatients from general hospital, patients from general medical practices, general population). METHODS: A sample of n = 28,345 participants from general hospitals, general medical practices and the general population was provided from six studies. First, we used Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to establish the factorial structure of the AUDIT by comparing a single-factor model to a two-factor model for each group. Next, Multiple Group CFA was used to investigate measurement invariance. RESULTS: The two-factor structure was shown to be preferable for all groups. Furthermore, strict measurement invariance was established across all groups for the AUDIT. CONCLUSION: A two-factor structure for the AUDIT is preferred. Nevertheless, the one-factor structure also showed a good fit to the data. The findings support the AUDIT as a psychometrically valid and reliable screening instrument.