Classifying COAs with three variations of the CAST: classification rates, stability, and gender differences

The Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) was administered to a sample of young adolescents as sixth graders and again one year later. Psychometric properties of the full CAST and a shortened version (CAST-6) were examined, and three different rules for classifying COAs were analyzed. The CAST was found to demonstrate adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. When examined as an entire group, the vast majority of respondents maintained the same classification (COA or NCOA) from the first to the second administration. For boys, however, CAST scores and the proportion who were self-identified as COAs declined significantly. Classification rates based on the full CAST and on the shortened version were similar. The use of two confirmatory items, "Ever think your father (mother) was an alcoholic?" however, substantially reduced the percentage of self-identified COAs. Finally, girls were dramatically more likely than boys to endorse items suggesting parental alcoholism, and they were also more likely to self-identify as COAs.