Table 2.
Statistical appraisal of single- and two-question studies
| Author | Phrase of questions | Criterion standard | Total sample | All cases | Non-cases | Unadjusted sensitivity | Unadjusted specificity | Unadjusted PPV | Unadjusted NPV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single-question studies | |||||||||
|
| |||||||||
| Seale et al, 200651 | SASQ (When was the last time you had more than X drinks in one day? | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 625 | 127 | 498 | 0.866 | 0.490 | 0.302 | 0.935 |
|
| |||||||||
| Fleming et al, 199147 | Unique — Have you ever had a drinking problem? | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-III) | 280 | 82 | 198 | 0.573 | 0.879 | 0.662 | 0.833 |
|
| |||||||||
| Unique — Do you have a current drinking problem? | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-III) | 280 | 82 | 198 | 0.317 | 0.970 | 0.813 | 0.774 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Brown et al, 200150 | Unique — In the last year, how many times have you not remembered things that happened while you were drinking or using drugs? | Substance Use Disorder (CIDI-SAM for DSM-III-R) | 1136 | 261 | 875 | 0.483 | 0.925 | 0.656 | 0.857 |
|
| |||||||||
| Unique — In the last year, have you ever drunk or used drugs more than you meant to? | Substance Use Disorder (CIDI-SAM for DSM-III-R) | 1136 | 261 | 875 | 0.701 | 0.809 | 0.523 | 0.901 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Unique — Have you felt you wanted or needed to cut down on your drinking or drug use in the last year? | Substance Use Disorder (CIDI-SAM for DSM-III-R) | 1136 | 261 | 875 | 0.563 | 0.917 | 0.668 | 0.876 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Unique — In the last year, have you drunk or used non-prescription drugs to deal with your feelings, stress, or frustration? | Substance Use Disorder (CIDI-SAM for DSM-III-R) | 1136 | 261 | 875 | 0.544 | 0.869 | 0.553 | 0.865 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Unique — As a result of your drinking or drug use, did anything happen in the last year that you wish didn’t happen? | Substance Use Disorder (CIDI-SAM for DSM-III-R) | 1136 | 261 | 875 | 0.410 | 0.960 | 0.754 | 0.845 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Bradley et al, 200149 | SASQ-Modified How often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion? | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-III-R) or hazardous drinking (NAAA) | 227 | 92 | 135 | 0.772 | 0.830 | 0.755 | 0.842 |
|
| |||||||||
| SASQ-Modified Maximum number of drinks per occasion | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-III-R) or hazardous drinking (NAAA) | 227 | 92 | 135 | 0.587 | 0.770 | 0.635 | 0.732 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Volk et al, 199748 | CAGE: cut down question | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 1333 | 205 | 1128 | 0.629 | 0.840 | 0.417 | 0.926 |
|
| |||||||||
| CAGE: annoyed question | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 1333 | 205 | 1128 | 0.239 | 0.930 | 0.383 | 0.871 | |
|
| |||||||||
| CAGE: guilty question | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 1333 | 205 | 1128 | 0.371 | 0.900 | 0.402 | 0.887 | |
|
| |||||||||
| CAGE: eye-opener question | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 1333 | 205 | 1128 | 0.210 | 0.950 | 0.434 | 0.869 | |
|
| |||||||||
| Smith et al 200952 | SASQ-Modified How many times in the past year have you had X or more drinks in a day? | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 286 | 33 | 253 | 0.879 | 0.672 | 0.259 | 0.977 |
|
| |||||||||
| Two-question studies | |||||||||
|
| |||||||||
| Brown et al 200150 | In the last year, have you ever drunk or used drugs more than you meant to? OR Have you felt you wanted or needed to cut down on your drinking or drug use in the last year? | Substance Use Disorder (CIDI-SAM for DSM-III-R) | 1136 | 261 | 875 | 0.793 | 0.779 | 0.518 | 0.927 |
|
| |||||||||
| Vinson et al 200739 | Q1 Recurrent drinking in situations in which it is physically hazardous, and Q2 drinking in larger amounts or over a longer period than intended | Alcohol-use disorder (DSM-IV) | 623 | 126 | 498 | 0.944 | 0.819 | 0.569 | 0.983 |
NPV = negative predictive value. PPV = positive predictive value.