Preliminary evaluation of the NIAAA/AAP brief alcohol use screener

Aims: To assess the concurrent validity of the two-item NIAAA/American Academy of Pediatrics Brief Alcohol Use Screener, a developmentally sensitive assessment instrument, in a school- based sample of adolescents. Method: The sample consisted of 756 adolescents (53% girls; Mage = 13.7 years; SD = 1.6 years) in the 6th (n = 192), 8th (n = 283), and the 10th (n = 281) grades from Miami-Dade County, FL and Prince George’s County, MD. Adolescents completed the NIAAA/AAP Brief Alcohol Use Screener, which consists of two items asking about adolescents’ alcohol use and about peers’ alcohol use during the last year. Peer-Risk is categorized into ‘No Peer-Risk’ versus ‘Heightened Concern’; Self-Risk is categorized into ‘No-Risk,’ ‘Low-Risk,’ ‘Moderate-Risk’ or ‘High-Risk,’ based on alcohol use patterns and age. Adolescents also completed measures of recent alcohol use and four previ- ously validated screener instruments. Results: Relative to the self-use ‘No-Risk’ category, adolescents classified into the ‘Low-,’ ‘Moderate-’ and ‘High-Risk’ categories reported progressively greater alcohol use and misuse dur- ing the last 90 days. Similar patterns were observed between the Peer-Risk categories. Combined, the two NIAAA/AAP screener items were positively related to recent alcohol use and outper- formed the other screeners examined. Conclusions: Results from the present study support the concurrent validity of the single and com- bined items of the NIAAA/AAP Brief Alcohol Use Screener, as well as the measure’s favorable con- current validity compared to four previously validated screener instruments. Short Summary: The current results support the concurrent validity of the single and combined items of the NIAAA/AAP Brief Alcohol Use Screener, as well as the measure’s favorable concurrent validity compared to four previously validated screener instruments, in a school-based sample of adolescents.