Development of the Adolescent Opioid Safety and Learning (AOSL) scale using exploratory factor analysis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Adolescent Health
• Substance Abuse Prevention

Background:

• Adolescents are significantly impacted by the opioid crisis, yet their perspectives on misuse and education are understudied.
• Effective opioid misuse prevention requires understanding adolescent knowledge and perceptions.
• Existing educational tools lack systematic measurement scales for assessing learning outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reliable and valid scale measuring adolescents' knowledge of opioid misuse.
• To assess adolescents' interest in learning about prescription opioid safety and responsible use.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of 68 items from a statewide survey administered to 188 high school students.
• Scale refinement through factor analysis iterations and internal consistency measures using Cronbach's alpha.
• Development of the 16-item Adolescent Opioid Safety and Learning (AOSL) Scale with a four-factor structure.

Main Results:

• The final 16-item AOSL Scale demonstrated a robust four-factor structure.
• The scale effectively measures knowledge of opioid misuse and harm, interest in learning, and misuse behaviors.
• High internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.8) was observed across the scale's factors.

Conclusions:

• The AOSL Scale can assess and document learning from adolescent opioid education programs.
• The scale's subscales aid researchers and practitioners in evaluating adolescents' attitudes toward prescription opioid misuse.
• The AOSL Scale provides a foundation for developing targeted, evidence-based opioid misuse prevention materials for adolescents.