ABSTRACT
The present study aims at validating the Cannabis Abuse Screening Test (CAST) in a clinical sample of adolescent and young adult cannabis users seeking treatment. Applying a classical test theory approach using DSM-IV diagnoses as gold standard, two versions of the CAST questionnaire are compared. The sample consisted of 140 subjects aged 15-26 years (mean 18.9) recruited from two cannabis treatment centers. Gold standard diagnoses were assessed using the Adolescent Diagnostic Interview-Light. Internal structure and consistency of the CAST were assessed by principal component analysis and Cronbach's α. Optimal thresholds were defined using receiver operating characteristic analysis. Both the binary and the full test version revealed unidimensional structures with moderate to satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.66 and 0.73). Screening properties were unsatisfactory when the CAST was compared against cannabis dependence. With regard to cannabis use disorders, both test versions yielded comparable and good sensitivity and specificity at cut-off 3 (binary: 92.2%, 66.7%) and 6 (full: 93.0%, 66.7%). Overall, the full CAST may be used for screening cannabis use disorders in clinical settings. Further research may use validation methods that do without gold standard.
Subject(s)
Inpatients , Marijuana Abuse/diagnosis , Surveys and Questionnaires/standards , Adolescent , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Marijuana Abuse/psychology , Mass Screening , Psychometrics , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and Specificity , Substance Abuse Treatment Centers , Young AdultABSTRACT
We explored emotional awareness in substance-dependent patients and its relationships to self-reported alexithymia. Sixty-four outpatients with drug dependence or alcohol dependence were evaluated before the beginning of treatment with the Hamilton Depressive Scale and the Covi Anxiety Scale, and they completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS). Subjects exhibited low levels of emotional awareness and TAS-20 scores were high. Both measures were not related to depressive and anxious symptomatology. This research is the first to provide LEAS results with substance-dependent patients and highlights their deficits in emotions' differentiation and complexity. The lack of a relationship between LEAS and TAS-20 is discussed from the methodological and theoretical points of view.
