Test-retest reliability of DSM-5 substance use symptom checklists used in primary care and mental health care settings.

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are underdiagnosed in healthcare settings. The Substance Use Symptom Checklist (SUSC) is a practical, patient-report questionnaire that has been used to assess SUD symptoms based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th edition (DSM-5) criteria. This study evaluates the test-retest reliability of SUSCs completed in primary and mental health care settings.

In this study, researchers identified 1194 patients who completed two SUSCs 1–21 days apart as part of routine care after reporting daily cannabis use and/or any past-year other drug use on behavioral health screens. Test-retest reliability of SUSC scores was evaluated within the full sample, subsamples who completed both checklists in primary care (n=451) or mental health clinics (n=512) where SUSC implementation differed, and subgroups defined by sex, insurance status, age, and substance use reported on behavioral health screens.

In the full sample, test-retest reliability was high for indices reflecting the number of SUD symptoms endorsed (ICC=0.75, 95% CI:0.72–0.77) and DSM-5 SUD severity (kappa=0.72, 95% CI:0.69–0.75). These reliability estimates were higher in primary care (ICC=0.81, 95% CI:0.77–0.84; kappa=0.79, 95% CI:0.75–0.82, respectively) than in mental health clinics (ICC=0.74, 95% CI:0.70–0.78; kappa=0.73, 95% CI:0.68–0.77). Reliability differed by age and substance use reported on behavioral health screens, but not by sex or insurance status.

Conclusions: The SUSC has good-to-excellent test-retest reliability when completed as part of routine primary or mental health care. Symptom checklists can reliably measure symptoms consistent with DSM-5 SUD criteria, which may aid SUD-related care in primary care and mental health settings.

Related protocols: CTN-0113