Adolescent Substance-Use Assessment: Methodological Issues in the Use of the ADAD (Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis)

Abstract

During the past twenty years, various instruments have been developed for the assessment of substance use in adolescents, mainly in the United States. However, few of them have been adapted to, and validated in, French-speaking populations. Consequently, although increasing alcohol and drug use among teenagers has become a major concern, the various health and social programs developed in response to this specific problem have received little attention with regard to follow-up and outcome assessment. A standardized multidimensional assessment instrument adapted for adolescents is needed to assess the individual needs of adolescents and assign them to the most appropriate treatment setting, to provide a single measurement within and across health and social systems, and to conduct treatment outcome evaluations. Moreover, having an available instrument makes it possible to develop longitudinal and trans-cultural research studies.For this reason, a French version of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) was developed and validated at the University Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinic in Lausanne, Switzerland. This paper aims to discuss the methodological issues that we faced when using the ADAD instrument in a 4-year longitudinal study including adolescent substance users. Methodological aspects relating to the content and format of the instrument, the assessment administration and the statistical analyses are discussed.

Keywords:

• adolescence
• ADAD
• longitudinal study
• methodology
• structured interview
• substance use

Notes

¹The journal's style utilizes the category substance abuse as a diagnostic category. Substances are used or misused; living organisms are and can be abused. Editor's note.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Léonie Chinet

Léonie Chinet, M.A., is an assistant psychologist at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). Her research interests are focused on substance use in adolescents and methodological issues (recruitment, assessment instruments and procedure). She collaborated in the development of the French version of the ADAD instrument and conducted interviewers' training and supervision.

Bernard Plancherel

Bernard Plancherel, Ph.D., is psychologist and statistician, Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). He is also consultant and lecturer in statistics and methodology at the Psychological Department of the University of Fribourg (Switzerland). His field of interest is focused on adolescence, more specifically stress, mental health, coping, and self-esteem.

Monique Bolognini

Monique Bolognini, Ph.D., Sociologist, is the Head of research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). Her main fields of interest are methodological aspects in research on adolescence (development of interview protocols and self reports instruments); dependent behavior (anorexia, bulimia, drug abuse); stress and protective factors in mental health evaluations; gender differences.

Laurent Holzer

Laurent Holzer, M.D., is Head of the adolescent day care unit at the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). His research interests are focused on psychosis and substance use in adolescents and treatment outcome issues. He collaborated in the clinical use of the French version of the ADAD instrument.

Olivier Halfon

Olivier Halfon, M.D. is Professor, Head of the Hospital Unit for Children and Adolescents, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Lausanne (Switzerland). His main research interests are focused on addictive behaviors (bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, drug abuse and suicidal attempts), primarily from a neurobiological and epidemiological point of view.