Association of Alcohol Screening Scores With Adverse Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Among US Adults

Source:

Khan MR, Young KE, Caniglia EC, et al. Association of Alcohol Screening Scores With Adverse Mental Health Conditions and Substance Use Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3(3):e200895. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.0895

Key Points

Question  Can alcohol use screening scores provide clinically meaningful information and facilitate identification of adverse mental health conditions and other substance use?

Findings  This cohort study using data from 6431 US patients collected from 2003 to 2012 found that high alcohol use scores (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test score ≥20) were associated with depression, anxiety, crack or cocaine use, and other stimulant use, with likelihood ratios greater than 3.5.

Meaning  These findings suggest that alcohol screening can inform decisions about further screening and diagnostic assessment for depression, anxiety, and some drug use outcomes.