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Purpose
Illicit drug abuse is a condition that causes multiple adverse events among different populations. Early detection of the problem can support timely intervention and improve patient outcomes. The purpose of the present paper is to conduct a review of the 10-item yes/no Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) to evaluate its benefits and limitations.
Reliability and Validity
DAST-10 is a questionnaire that is designed for the case detection of drug use disorders. The assessment tool is known for its high reliability and validity proven by multiple research. According to Villalobos-Gallegos et al., DAST-10 has been evaluated in various clinical and hospital environment with Cronbach’s alpha ranging from.86 to.94 (90). The test-retest reliability, as cited by Villalobos-Gallegos et al., is between.71 and.90 (90). Lam et al. also report high criterion, concurrent, and face validity of the test (3). Lam et al. suggest that high face validity may be a problem, since responders may give false answers about the history of drug use (Lam et al. 8). However, it can be stated that the addiction assessment tool is a reliable method to evaluate the addiction level.
Other Characteristics
DAST-10 is an easy-to-conduct test due to its time and cost efficiency and the lack of any special considerations. The questionnaire collects yes/no answers to 10 questions concerning the use of drugs. Every item can be accounted for a maximum of one point, and any score of 3 and above highly suggests an addiction problem. The test takes no longer than 5 minutes, and it is available for free for organizational or personal use. The test does not require the use of any special equipment, and assessors do not need to have any additional training for conducting or evaluating the test. In short, DAST-10 is a basic tool available for all addictions professionals to evaluate drug addiction.
Benefits and Limitations
The primary benefit of the tool is its simplicity and low cost. Since the items included in the questionnaire are yes/no questions with “yes” corresponding to one point and “no” standing for zero points, the results are easy to count and assess. The evaluation of the results takes less than two minutes. However, in most cases, they provide limited information about the problem. DAST-10 is very effective for primary diagnosis and cannot be used for an in-depth evaluation of a client’s condition (Villalobos-Gallegos et al. 93). Another limitation of the test is that it only allows evaluation of drug misuse. If a person needs to be tested for alcohol abuse, another screening, such as Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) should be used. Despite its drawbacks, DAST-10 is a useful instrument for detecting drug abuse.
Overall Utility of the Test in an Addictions Assessment
As stated above, DAST-10 is utilized as a basic screening tool for drug abuse detection. According to Villalobos-Gallegos, the test may be used in various settings, including inpatients substance abusers, psychiatric patients, and burnt patients (90). Since drug abuse is associated with numerous comorbid conditions and various adverse events, DAST-10 can be used to diagnose the problem and design timely interventions to improve patient outcomes. In addiction assessment practice, the tool may be used only to detect if a person demonstrates any signs of drug misuse. However, the test neither can be used for the evaluation of comorbid conditions, nor it provides significant evidence on the severity of the abuse. Therefore, the tool finds only limited use among addiction specialists.
Works Cited
Lam, Lap Po et al. “Validation of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10): A Study on Illicit Drug Use among Chinese Pregnant Women.” Scientific Reports, vol. 5, no. 1, 2015, pp. 1-11. Web.
Villalobos-Gallegos, Lois et al. “Psychometric and Diagnostic Properties of the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST): Comparing the DAST-20 vs. the DAST-10.” Salud Mental, vol. 38, no. 2, 2015, pp. 89-94.
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