Evaluation of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) in Criminal Justice and Detoxification Settings and in a Swedish Population Sample

TLDR

The study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the 11‑item DUDIT in heavy drug users from prison, probation, and detoxification settings and in a general Swedish population sample. The authors assessed the DUDIT’s sensitivity, specificity, and internal consistency by administering it to these groups and analyzing the results. The DUDIT demonstrated 90 % sensitivity and 78–88 % specificity for DSM‑4 and ICD‑10 drug dependence, a Cronbach’s α of 0.80, identified 3.1 % of the population sample as positive, and proved effective for screening drug‑related problems in both clinical and public health contexts.

Abstract

Psychometric properties of the 11-item self-report Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) were evaluated in a sample of heavy drug users from prison, probation, and inpatient detoxification settings, and in a general Swedish population sample. In the drug user sample, the DUDIT predicted drug dependence with a sensitivity of 90% for both DSM-4 and ICD-10 and a respective specificity of 78 and 88%. Reliability according to Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.80. In the population sample, 3.1% scored positive on the DUDIT; T-score values are suggested. The DUDIT screens effectively for drug-related problems in clinically selected groups and may prove useful in the context of public health surveys.