Screening for paternal alcoholism: reliability of a German version of the F-SMAST

The development of screening instruments for the detection of paternal alcoholism is of both clinical and research interest. F-SMAST, an adapted version of the Short Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (SMAST), has proven to be a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of an individual's father's drinking history. The present investigation examines the reliability of a German version of the F-SMAST. Internal consistency and test-retest stability (Pearson correlation coefficients on unweighted total scores; kappa statistics and Yule's Y of the individual items) are evaluated in a sample of undergraduates (n = 202). Internal consistency of the F-SMAST is re-evaluated in a second study by analysing the responses of alcohol-dependent in-patients (n = 205). The German version of the F-SMAST exhibited excellent reliability in terms of internal consistency and test-retest stability of the unweighted total scores. Test-retest agreement of the individual items was in the acceptable range. Taking into account the lifetime prevalence of alcoholism and several background variables (e.g. marital status and number of real children) a cut score of 6 or 7 on the F-SMAST seems appropriate for the detection of paternal alcoholism.