Psychometric Properties of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) in Heroin Dependent Adults and Adolescents with Drug Use Disorder

Objective:The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT), developed to screen individuals for drug problems, in Turkish patients with drug use disorder

Psychometric Characteristics of the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) and the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test-Extended (DUDIT-E) Among Young Drug Users in Hungary.

BACKGROUND: The Drug Use Disorders Identification Test (DUDIT) was developed for problematic substance use screening, and for a more detailed assessment of problematic use, the Drug Use Disorders Identification Test-Extended (DUDIT-E) was additionally developed. PURPOSE: Examining the psychometric properties of DUDIT and DUIT-E across diverse settings in populations of young drug users. METHODS: We examined the psychometric characteristics of these instruments across various settings in populations of young substance users differing in substance use severity and treatment status. Data were collected from three clinically relevant groups (n = 259) as well as a control sample of college students (n = 109). RESULTS: Reliability analyses indicated good internal consistency for both instruments; high intraclass correlations further indicated good test-retest reliability. Differences among study groups were significant on the DUDIT scale and all DUDIT-E subscales (p < 0.01), with the target groups exhibiting higher scores compared to controls. A two-factor solution was identified for the factor structure of DUDIT. CONCLUSION: The Hungarian version of DUDIT and DUDIT-E can effectively identify substance use problems among young users

Impact of alcohol consumption on tuberculosis treatment outcomes: A prospective longitudinal cohort study protocol

Background: An estimated 10% of tuberculosis (TB) deaths are attributable to problematic alcohol use globally, however the causal pathways through which problem alcohol use has an impact on TB treatment outcome is not clear. This study aims to improve understanding of these mechanisms. Specifically, we aim to 1) assess whether poor TB treatment outcomes, measured as delayed time-to-culture conversion, are associated with problem alcohol use after controlling for non-adherence to TB pharmacotherapy; and 2) to determine whether pharmacokinetic (PK) changes in those with problem alcohol use are associated with delayed culture conversion, higher treatment failure/relapse rates or with increased toxicity. Methods: Our longitudinal, repeated measures, prospective cohort study aims to examine the associations between problem alcohol use and TB treatment outcomes and to evaluate the effect of alcohol on the PK and pharmacodynamics (PD) of TB drugs. We will recruit 438 microbiologically confirmed, pulmonary TB patients with evidence of rifampicin susceptibility in Worcester, South Africa with 200 HIV uninfected patients co-enrolled in the PK aim. Participants are followed for the six months of TB treatment and an additional 12 months thereafter, with sputum collected weekly for the first 12 weeks of treatment, alcohol consumption measures repeated monthly in concert with an alcohol biomarker (phosphatidylethanol) measurement at baseline, and in person directly observed therapy (DOT) using real-time mobile phone-based adherence monitoring. The primary outcome is based on time to culture conversion with the second objective to compare PK of first line TB therapy in those with and without problem alcohol use. Discussion: Globally, an urgent need exists to identify modifiable drivers of poor TB treatment outcomes. There is a critical need for more effective TB treatment strategies for patients with a history of problem alcohol use. However, it is not known whether poor treatment outcomes in alcohol using patients are solely attributable to noncompliance. This study will attempt to answer this question and provide guidance for future TB intervention trials. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Registration Number: NCT02840877. Registered on 19 July 2016