Abstract
ABSTRACTWhile the World Health Organization (WHO) Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is a useful screening and brief intervention tool for use with adults, the risk cut-offs are not appropriate for people under 18 years of age. Drawing on the literature available and expert clinical consultation and consensus, two distinct ASSIST-Youth (ASSIST-Y) questionnaires and Feedback Report cards with different score weightings were proposed, reflecting the dynamic nature of substance use-related risk in developing adolescents ages 10 to 14 years and ages 15 to 17 years old. Appropriate interventions also were recommended, with a strong emphasis on referral for assessment and management of broader psychosocial issues. This revised ASSIST for young people was developed with the intention that this “first-pass” set of cut-off scores and associated materials might form the basis for further psychometric validation of the youth ASSIST in the future, while still providing practitioners with a screening brief intervention option for using with young people in the interim.
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