Concurrent and Predictive Validity of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagno- sis (ADAD)

The concurrent and predictive validity of the Adolescent Drug Abuse Diagnosis (ADAD) in the Psychological status and problem area was examined for two adolescent groups: a non-clinical population of 121 Swedish adolescents (62 girls and 59 boys) aged 15 to17 years and a clinical population of 31 adolescents (14 girls and 17 boys) aged 12 to 19 years detained in special youth homes. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by significant correlations between the ADAD, Youth Self Report (YSR) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. Findings regarding the predictive validity of ADAD show moderate associations with YSR, BDI and DICA problem ratings. The findings suggest that for clinical practice the ADAD Psychological status and problem area may be an appropriate assessment tool for measurement of current psychological problems. The utility obtained by making decisions using the test is substantial.