Appendix 4.

Performance of Substance Use Screens for Identifying Any Symptom of Alcohol, Cannabis, or Other Illicit Drug Use Disorder

Age 12 to 15 YearsAge 16 to 17 YearsAge 18 to 20 Years
N = 79,170N = 42,356N = 48,460
SeSpSeSpSeSp
Alcohol
    ≥1 day1.000.871.000.631.000.46
    ≥2 days1.000.901.000.691.000.50
    ≥3 days1.000.921.000.731.000.54
    ≥12 days0.840.960.890.880.940.72
    ≥52 days0.400.990.480.960.650.88
    ≥270 days0.021.000.021.000.031.00
    AUC (SE)0.98 (0.0003)0.93 (0.0006)*0.88 (0.0007)*
Cannabis
    ≥1 day1.000.961.000.861.000.80
    ≥2 days1.000.971.000.881.000.83
    ≥3 days0.990.971.000.901.000.85
    ≥12 days0.900.990.940.950.960.92
    ≥52 days0.610.990.710.980.800.96
    ≥270 days0.121.000.201.000.310.99
    AUC (SE)0.99 (0.0002)0.97 (0.0004)*0.96 (0.0004)*
Other Illicit Drugs
    ≥1 day1.000.941.000.901.000.87
    ≥2 days0.920.960.950.930.970.89
    ≥3 days0.880.960.900.940.940.91
    ≥12 days0.690.970.710.960.760.95
    ≥52 days0.400.990.440.980.520.98
    ≥270 days0.081.000.131.000.161.00
    AUC (SE)0.98 (0.0003)0.97 (0.0004)*0.97 (0.0004)*
  • Notes: Se = Sensitivity; Sp = Specificity; AUC = Area under Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) Curve for any symptom of DSM-IV Alcohol, Cannabis, or Other Drug Use Disorders; Se, sensitivity; Sp, specificity. Bolded screening cut-points are shown that have high values of sensitivity and specificity and minimize the number of different age- and substance-specific cut-points.

  • Frequency is coded as days of use in the past year.

  • χ2 test for independence (relative to age 12 to 15 years),

  • * P < .0001.

  • χ2 test for independence (comparing 16–17- and 18–20-year-olds),

  • P < .0001.