Back to Search Start Over

Reliability and Concurrent Validity of the CAGE Screening Questions: A Comparison of Lesbians and Heterosexual Women.

Authors :
JOHNSON, TIMOTHY P.
HUGHES, TONDA L.
Source :
Substance Use & Misuse. 2005, Vol. 40 Issue 5, p657-669. 13p. 5 Charts.
Publication Year :
2005

Abstract

Although lesbians are believed to be at heightened risk for alcohol abuse and alcohol dependency, the reliability and validity of currently available screening measures have yet to be explored in this population group. In this paper, we report the psychometric properties of the CAGE in a diverse sample of 63 lesbians and comparisons with a control group of 57 heterosexual women. Data were collected in Chicago during 1997–1998 using face-to-face interviews. Findings suggest that the CAGE has good reliability and concurrent validity among lesbians. One CAGE item, concerned with drinking in the morning, however, was found to be only weakly associated with the other items among lesbians. Although this pilot study is limited by the nonprobability sample, we conclude that evaluating the appropriateness of other alcohol and drug abuse measures in high-risk populations, such as lesbians, should be a research priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
10826084
Volume :
40
Issue :
5
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Substance Use & Misuse
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
16969828
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1081/JA-200055369