Michigan Alcohol Screening Test
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About Michigan Alcohol Screening Test
The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) is one of the most widely used tools for identifying alcohol use disorders. Developed in the early 1970s, the MAST has been employed in clinical settings worldwide to screen for alcoholism, assess the severity of alcohol-related issues, and guide further interventions.
Purpose of the Tool
The main purpose of the MAST is to assess the extent of alcohol use disorders in individuals. It is designed to help healthcare professionals and researchers detect the presence of problematic drinking behaviors and the potential for alcohol dependence. The tool aims to evaluate the need for further clinical diagnosis and treatment related to alcohol use.
Description of Tool
The Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST) was first developed by Selzer in 1971 as a brief, self-report measure for assessing alcohol dependency. Over time, shortened versions of the MAST were developed, such as the Brief MAST (Pokorny et al., 1972) and the Self-Administered Short Version (SMAST) (Selzer et al., 1975), making it more accessible and time-efficient for both clinical use and research.
The MAST consists of a series of 25 questions focusing on an individual’s alcohol consumption patterns, their behavioral and social consequences of drinking, and any recognition of alcohol-related problems. It asks questions about experiences such as missing work due to drinking, drinking in the morning, and negative social consequences due to alcohol use. The test has a binary (Yes/No) answer format, and scores are calculated based on the number of positive responses. A higher score indicates a higher probability of alcohol dependence.
Key aspects of the MAST include:
- Simplicity: It is easy to administer and self-report.
- Broad usage: It is used across various clinical and research settings.
- Time-efficient: The test takes approximately 10 minutes to complete.
- The MAST is available in multiple versions, such as the full MAST (25 items), the Brief MAST (10 items), and the Short MAST (SMAST) (13 items), making it adaptable for different settings based on the level of detail needed.
Psychometric Properties
The MAST has undergone numerous studies to confirm its validity and reliability across various populations and settings. Selzer (1971) found it to have high internal consistency and strong test-retest reliability. The tool has been validated across both psychiatric and non-psychiatric populations, demonstrating its broad applicability. Research also supports its criterion validity, showing that it accurately identifies individuals with alcohol use disorders when compared to clinical diagnoses.
Construct Validity: Zung (1980) confirmed the factor structure of the MAST, indicating that it reliably measures alcohol-related issues.
Concurrent Validity: Studies like those by Maisto et al. (1995) support its validity in screening for alcohol use issues.
Age Group
The MAST is appropriate for use with adults. It has also been adapted for use in older populations, such as the MAST-G for geriatrics (Hirata et al., 2001). However, its primary audience is adults aged 18 years and older.
References
- Selzer, M.L. (1971). The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST): The quest for a new diagnostic instrument. American Journal of Psychiatry, 127:1653-1658.
- Pokorny, A., et al. (1972). The Brief MAST: A shortened version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. American Journal of Psychiatry, 27(12): 342-345.
- Selzer, M.L., Vinokur, A., & van Rooijen, L. (1975). Self-Administered Short Version of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST). Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 36:117-126.
- Zung, B. J. (1980). Factor structure of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) in a psychiatric outpatient population. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 36, 1024-1030.
- Maisto, S.A., Connors, G.J., & Allen, J.P. (1995). Contrasting self-report screens for alcohol problems: A review. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 19(6), 1510-1516.
- Hirata, E.S., Almeida, O.P., Funari, R.R., Klein, E.L. (2001). Validity of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) for the detection of alcohol-related problems among male geriatric outpatients. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 9, 30-34.
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