Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 19, 2025

Brain Morphology of Cannabis Users With or Without Psychosis: A Pilot MRI Study
Published on: August 18, 2020
Age-related Psychometric Dimensionality Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition
Alyssa M Falise1, Ziying Li, Anne Corinne Huggins-Manley
1From the Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health & Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (AMF, CL-Q, LBC, CWS); and School of Human Development and Organizational Studies, College of Education, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (ZL, CH-M).
Objectives:
Age-related psychometric differences in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition ( DSM-5 ) opioid use disorder (OUD) diagnostic criteria have been hypothesized, but not been tested. This study investigated DSM-5 OUD diagnostic criteria for age-related measurement noninvariance among younger adults (YAs) and middle/older adults (MOAs) with past 12-month nonmedical use of prescription opioids.
Methods:
People who participated in the 2012-2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions III and reported past 12-month nonmedical use of prescription opioids were included. YAs were 18-49 years old, and MOAs were 50+ years old. Item response theory, differential item functioning (DIF), and differential test functioning were used to assess for age-related measurement noninvariance.
Results:
One in 5 people met the DSM-5 OUD diagnostic criteria for OUD within the past 12 months, with the most endorsed criteria being tolerance (17.96%). DIF was identified for 3 criteria, including (1) taking opioids for longer or in larger doses than intended, (2) long periods spent obtaining/using/recovering from use, and (3) withdrawal. DIF was associated with the latent OUD severity needed to correctly endorse the criteria, with criteria being correctly endorsed at less severe levels of latent OUD for MOAs when compared with YAs. Differential test functioning analyses showed collectively the criteria had improved detection in MOAs when compared with YAs ( P < 0.01).
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that there may be age-related variations in the DSM-5 OUD diagnostic criteria's ability to detect latent OUD. Future research should identify contributing factors and the influence it has on the accuracy of age-specific surveillance estimations.
More Related Videos
09:29Investigating Drivers of Antireward in Addiction Behavior with Anatomically Specific Single-Cell Gene Expression Methods
Published on: August 4, 2022
10:17High-throughput and Comprehensive Drug Surveillance Using Multisegment Injection-Capillary Electrophoresis-Mass Spectrometry
Published on: April 23, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
Drug Abuse and Addiction: Pharmacological Phenomena
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Opioid Analgesics: Synthetic and Semisynthetic Opioids
Analgesia and Pain Management
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Diagnostic Criteria and...