Screening for alcohol use disorder among individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders: Diagnostic accuracy in a sample of young Swiss men

Stéphanie Baggio; Sophie Baudat; Jean-Bernard Daeppen; Gerhard Gmel; Patrick Heller; Nader Perroud; Stéphane Rothen; Frank Sporkert; Joseph Studer; Hans Wolff; Katia Iglesias

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106354

Screening for alcohol use disorder among individuals with comorbid psychiatric disorders: Diagnostic accuracy in a sample of young Swiss men

Addict Behav. 2020 Jul:106:106354. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106354. Epub 2020 Feb 15.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Division of Prison Health, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Chemin du Petit Bel Air 2, 1226 Thônex, Switzerland; Department of Forensic Psychiatry, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Falkenplatz 16, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Office of Corrections, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: stephanie.baggio@hcuge.ch.
² Division of Prison Health, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Chemin du Petit Bel Air 2, 1226 Thônex, Switzerland; Family and Development Research Center, Institute of Psychology, University of Lausanne, Geopolis Building, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
³ Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Rue du Bugnon 23, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁴ Addiction Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital, Rue du Bugnon 23, 1011 Lausanne, Switzerland; Addiction Switzerland, Avenue Louis-Ruchonnet 14, 1003 Lausanne, Switzerland; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 1001 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON M6J 1H4, Canada; University of the West of England, Coldharbour Ln, Stoke Gifford, Bristol BS16 1QY, UK.
⁵ Division of Prison Health, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Chemin du Petit Bel Air 2, 1226 Thônex, Switzerland; Adult Psychiatry Division, Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Geneva University Hospitals, Chemin du Petit Bel Air 2, 1226 Thônex, Switzerland.
⁶ Department of Mental Health and Psychiatry, Service of Psychiatric Specialties, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland; Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
⁷ Addiction Division, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, rue Grand-Pré 70C, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland.
⁸ Centre of Legal Medicine, Forensic Toxicology and Chemistry Unit, Lausanne and Geneva Universities, Chemin de la Vulliette 4, 1000 Lausanne, Switzerland.
⁹ Division of Prison Health, Geneva University Hospitals and University of Geneva, Chemin du Petit Bel Air 2, 1226 Thônex, Switzerland.
¹⁰ School of Health Sciences, HES-SO University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Western Switzerland, Route des Arsenaux 16a, 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland.

PMID: 32135396
DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2020.106354

Abstract

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is frequently comorbid with other psychiatric disorders. However, few studies investigated the psychometric properties of AUD screening tools in presence of co-occurring disorders. This study examined the diagnostic accuracy of a short AUD screening tool among young adults, in the presence of high vs. low or moderate symptomatology of other common psychiatric disorders. Data were collected among young Swiss men (n = 233) between 2016 and 2018. Measures included a diagnostic interview for AUD and screening tools for AUD and other psychiatric disorders (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, antisocial personality disorder, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, major depressive disorder, and social anxiety disorder). We computed receiver operating characteristic curves to test whether the AUD screening tool was an accurate indicator of AUD for groups with high vs. low or moderate symptomatology of each psychiatric disorder. The results showed that the optimal cut-off score was ≥3 (the original cut-off of the scale) for participants with a low or moderate symptomatology and ≥4 for participants with a high symptomatology. Our findings highlighted the urgent need for an integrated approach to screening. Psychiatric comorbidities should be included in the screen for AUD to obtain accurate results.

Keywords: Alcohol; Comorbidity; Mental health; Population-based assessment; Psychometrics; Screening.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alcoholism* / diagnosis
Alcoholism* / epidemiology
Bipolar Disorder* / epidemiology
Comorbidity
Depressive Disorder, Major* / epidemiology
Humans
Male
Switzerland / epidemiology
Young Adult