An Analysis of Audit Scores of Adolescent Offenders in Two Midwestern Counties

Abstract

The Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test provides an accurate measure of risk associated with alcohol-related problems across sex, age, and cultures. As a recommended screening tool to detect patients who are appropriate candidates for brief, preventive alcohol interventions, it was given to 78 adolescents in a diversion program for drunk drivers in two southeastern Nebraska counties during routine alcohol-dependency evaluations. The subjects were grouped by age (18 and younger and over 18 years) and by sex. Based on a previous study, it was hypothesized that the responses to the first three AUDIT questions, related to alcohol consumption, would reflect sex and age differences. A 2 x 2 analysis of variance of scores on separate items indicated significant main effects for age (F1,74= 10.40, p<.002) for Question 1 with older boys' and girls' groups reporting they have drinks containing alcohol more frequently, for sex (F1,74= 14.65, p<.001) on Question 2 with the older boys' group reporting more frequent drinking on a typical day, and for age (F1,74 = 7.74, p>.01), and sex (F1,74= 4.12, p< .05) on Question 3 with the older boys' group indicating that they more frequently consumed six or more drinks on one occasion. It is recommended that the AUDIT-C be included in drug and alcohol assessments with adolescents similar to those tested here, and professionals be alert to the possibilities of sex and age differences in response to questions related to consumption.