A comparison of alcohol screening instrumetns among under-aged drinkers treated in emergency departments

Abstract

Aims: Few studies have examined the adequacy of adult-validated alcohol screening measures when used with adolescents and young adults. A total of 103 subjects (55 males, 48 females) participated in a study of alcohol use among under-aged drinkers conducted in two emergency departments. Methods: Participants completed three brief screening instruments for problematic alcohol use: the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); a modified version of the TWEAK; and the CAGE. Results and Conclusions: Missing data on the TWEAK, lower internal consistency for the TWEAK and CAGE, and the better ability of the AUDIT to differentiate problem drinkers from non-problem drinkers, suggest that the AUDIT performs best in screening for problematic alcohol use among under-aged drinkers treated in emergency departments.