Problem Oriented Screening Instrument For Teenagers Research Articles

Screening for Drug Abuse Among Adolescents in Clinical and Correctional Settings Using the Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers

Recent research has indicated high rates of substance abuse among adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. Moreover, adolescents in clinical and correctional settings found to have comorbid disorders involving substance abuse experience higher morbidity and mortality rates when compared to adolescents having one or no condition. The present study examines the ability of the Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) to identify DSM-III-R-defined psychoactive substance use disorders among 342 adolescents aged 12–19 years. Participants were sampled from school, clinical, and correctional settings. Optimal-scale cut scores for drug abuse diagnosis classification were derived by a minimum loss function method that minimized false classifications. When using the optimal cut score of two for the total sample, the standard POSIT substance use/abuse scale obtained a drug abuse diagnosis classification accuracy of 84% with sensitivity and specificity ratios of 95% and 79%, respectively. The internal validity of the standard 17-item substance use/abuse scale was subsequently examined by principle component analysis, item analysis, and coefficient alpha. The internal validity analyses were conducted to determine if a shortened scale could be developed and yet retain acceptable classification accuracy. When using the optimal cut score of two for the total sample, the revised 11-item scale obtained a drug abuse diagnosis classification accuracy of 85% with sensitivity and specificity ratios of 91% and 82%, respectively. The results suggest that the POSIT can serve as a useful first-gate instrument to identify adolescents in need of further drug abuse assessment.

Examination of the reliability of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) among arrested youths entering a juvenile assessment center.

The Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) serves as a key aspect of the preliminary screening activities at the Hillsborough County Juvenile Assessment Center. We report on a reliability study of POSIT, involving an examination of the relationships between the youths' initial and second admission POSIT results for different time intervals between administration of the instrument. The results indicate the POSIT provides consistent indication of potentially troubled youths who are in need of in-depth assessment and intervention or treatment services.

A Preliminary Language Validity Analysis of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT)

The Problem Oriented Screening Inventory for Teenagers (POSIT) was analyzed in a Hispanic Majority/Border Area School District to determine the test-retest correlation of the English and Spanish version of the instrument. It was hypothesized that the bilingual adolescents living on the U.S.-Mexico border use and comprehend a unique form of the Spanish language and therefore, the Spanish version of the POSIT would not correlate well with the English version of the POSIT scores for this sample. Data were calculated with Cohen's kappa coefficient to measure the extent of agreement between the English and Spanish POSIT version scores. The data analysis revealed a kappa coefficient of .36, indicating a fairly weak agreement between the English and Spanish POSIT version results for this sample. Qualitative dta indicate that 29 out of 139 Spanish version items and 3 out of 139 English version items were confusing to these bilingual students.

Screening High Risk Youths for Potential Problems:

Screening data, including results of the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) developed by the NIDA, on arrested youths processed in May 1993 at the Hillsborough County, Florida Juvenile Assessment Center are analyzed. High rates of potential psychosocial functioning problems were obtained. Relationships were found between the youths' POSIT results, their dependency and delinquency referral histories, self-reported alcohol and marijuana/hashish use and their claimed involvement in mental health or substance use treatment-for which problems they were seriously underserved. The service delivery and policy implications of our findings are drawn.

A validation study of the problem-oriented screening instrument for teenagers (POSIT)

The Problem-Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) is a 139-item questionnaire designed to identify substance abuse and related problems. The reliability and validity of the POSIT were studied in adolescents referred to an assessment service for evaluation of substance use problems. Convergent and divergent validity were examined using the Personal Experience Inventory, the Diagnostic Interview for Children and Adolescents, and the Adolescent Diagnostic Interview. Scales measuring problems assessed by both the POSIT and the criterion measures were moderately to highly correlated. Those measuring dissimilar domains were slightly correlated or were not significantly related. The findings highlight the strengths and limitations of the POSIT, and suggest the need for further research on screening tests designed specifically for substance-involved youth.