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Updated: Mar 19, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Psychometric assessment of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System and the MOTHER NAS Scale
Hendrée E Jones1,2, Carl Seashore3, Elisabeth Johnson1
1UNC Horizons and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Background And Objectives:
The present study examined the psychometric characteristics of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (NASS; "Finnegan Scale") and the MOTHER NAS Scale (MNS).
Methods:
Secondary analysis of data from 131 neonates from the Maternal Opioid Treatment: Human Experimental Research (MOTHER) study, a randomized trial in opioid-dependent pregnant women administered buprenorphine or methadone.
Results:
Both the NASS and MNS demonstrated poor psychometric properties, with internal consistency (Cronbach's αs) failing to exceed .62 at first administration, peak NAS score, and NAS treatment initiation.
Conclusions:
Findings support the need for development of a NAS measure based on sound psychometric principles.
Scientific Significance:
This study found that two frequently used measures of neonatal abstinence syndrome suffer inadequacies in regard to their basic measurement characteristics. (Am J Addict 2016;25:370-373).
