Development of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A)

The development and initial validation of the Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) is summarized. The DAST-A, derived from a modificatio n of the original adult version called the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST; Skinner, 1982). was psychometrically tested in a study group of adolescent inpatients. Thr DAST-A demonstrated good internal consistency, high test-r etest reliability, unidimensional factor structure, and good concurrent val idity. Using the classification system of the fourth edition of the Diagnos tic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Associ ation 1994), DAST-A scores of greater than 6 yielded sensitivity, specifici ty, and positive predictive powers of 78.6%, 84.5%, and 82.3%, respectively , in differentiating adolescent psychiatric inpatients with and without dru g-related disorders. These findings suggest that the DAST-A holds promise a s a drug abuse screening measure in psychiatrically impaired adolescent pop ulations. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.