Old and new MMPI-derived scales and the short-MAST as screening tools for alcohol disorder

Ten previously published and two new MMPI-derived scales were compared with the short-form of the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (SMAST-13) in terms of sensitivity and specificity at detecting alcohol disorder in a study of 100 alcohol out-patients, 100 mental health out-patients, and 100 college students. The SMAST-13 and the new MMPI-derived alcoholism scales performed best at detecting alcohol disorder on multiple criteria including the standard contingency table, relative efficiency, and receiver operator characteristic analyses. These conclusions, were found to be robust in separate analyses for males and females.