Assessment of suitability of Indian disability evaluation scale (IDEAS) to assess disability among persons with alcohol use disorders

Abstract

Background: Alcohol use disorders (AUD) contribute substantially to the global disease and disability burden. The Indian Disability Evaluation and Assessment Scale (IDEAS) has seldom been used to measure disability in those with AUDs. Objectives: To assess the validity of IDEAS to quantify disability among persons with AUDs by measuring the level of agreement between IDEAS and World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule version 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional measurement of disability and quality of life (QoL) measures was carried out among those seeking treatment for AUDs. Correlational analyses and Bland–Altman plot analysis were done to measure the level of agreement between IDEAS and WHODAS2.0. Results: The scores on the WHODAS and IDEAS show statistically significant positive correlation (Rho: 0.435, P = 0.0001) indicating convergent validity. There was a significant level of agreement of disability scores using both tools. The IDEAS score had significant negative correlation with the brief version (WHOQoL BREF-Hindi) measures (Rho: –0.301, P = 0.003) indicating divergent validity. Those with greater severity of AUD had higher IDEAS scores (b = 1.9, P = 0.046). Conclusions: IDEAS scores correlate with disability scores measured with WHODAS 2.0 and QoL assessment using WHOQOL-BREF Hindi in those with AUDs. This instrument can be used to quantify disability and provide socioeconomic compensations to these individuals.