Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
Published on: February 6, 2019
Different versions of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) as screening instruments for underage
María-Teresa Cortés-Tomás1, José-Antonio Giménez-Costa1, Patricia Motos-Sellés1
1Department of Basic Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Background:
The changes experienced in recent years in the conceptualization of binge drinking (BD) make it necessary to revise the usefulness of the existing instruments for its detection among minors. The AUDIT and its abbreviated versions have shown their utility in different populations and consumption ranges, but there has been little research into their use in the detection of BD among adolescents. This study tests the capacity of the AUDIT, AUDIT-C and AUDIT-3 to identify BD adolescents, indicating the optimal cut-off points for each sex.
Methods:
High school students self-administered the AUDIT and completed a weekly self-report of their alcohol intake. BD is classified into different groups according to parameters like the quantity consumed and its frequency in the past six months, adjusting the cut-off points for each case.
Results:
The results obtained with a sample of 634 adolescents (15-17 years old/52.2% female) indicate that cut-off points of 4 on the AUDIT and 3 on the AUDIT-C show the best fit. Dividing the sample by sexes, the AUDIT and the AUDIT-C would detect BD males with scores of 5 and 4, respectively (with the AUDIT-C being more sensitive), and BD females with a score of 3 on both (the more sensitive being the AUDIT).
Conclusions:
All three versions are adequate to classify BD adolescents but none of them made it possible to safely differentiate binge drinkers with different consumption intensities.
More Related Videos
07:31Murine Drinking Models in the Development of Pharmacotherapies for Alcoholism: Drinking in the Dark and Two-bottle Choice
Published on: January 7, 2019
05:40The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Binge Eating Disorders
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Hypothesis Test for Test of Independence
H0: The two variables (factors)...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping