The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) is an assessment tool used to determime the dependents email of a drinker. The test also detects underlying problems or social issues that would attempt to explain the predisposing factors that led to alcohol addiction. The contributors include experiences that deeply affected the individual. These could have led to a formation of addiction as a coping mechanisms. Other problems that are common with patients of addiction may be identified from the pattern formed in the answers. Basically, the test helps the test taker know whether or not they have a drinking problem.
The MAST has an average score when it comes to reliability. The users of the test have acknowledged consistence in results. They do not often differ much even when one repeats the test more than once. The test was able to accurately identify past and present issues. However, some users do not get accurate results because their self appraisal us too high or too low. Initially, the test was short like other assessment tools. However, an increase in the number of questions gave the test a higher reliability. Overall, the MAST is fairly reliable as it passes the internal consistency measure and the test retest (Feit et al., 2015).
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The MAST fulfills certain aspects of validity. It is able to identify an addiction problem . However its general approach to the problem affects its validity. Apparently, it is not entirely reliable as the only tool to use for diagnosis. It is good in identifying general dependency issues in the population. Generally, it does not reflect the testers current status as well as it retells the story of the past. The test is also more informative for persons who have been drinking for a longer time than average. However, it has a 98% accuracy rate for identifying dependency based on the content and criterion measures.
The MAST uses certain types of normative data to perform assessment. Moderate drinking is defined as two drinks of standard measure per day for men. Women and men over 60 are evaluated on the basis of one standard drink per day. Risk drinking for both groups is described as anything that is over fourteen drinks. This includes imbibing more than 4 drinks at a sitting. Abused persons were also more likely to be diagnosed as alcoholics. Various medical conditions may also be used as a determinant of long term and serious alcoholism (Schmidt et al., 2016).
The administration time of the MAST is roughly between 8 and 10 minutes. The test requires the respondent to answer 22 questions in order for the evaluation to be complete. This is one of the assessment tools with the longest duration because it requires the use of a wide spectrum of information. The generous time allocation is also ideal so that the respondent does not feel pressured or hurried while answering. It encourages an accurate self appraisal (Minnich, et al., 2018).
The test is highly popular because it is highly affordable. The test and interpretations of the results are readily available online or at any facility that offers services aimed at managing alcohol dependency. It is also possible to self evaluate the results easily. However, the reading level of the test is unknown. The MAST does not require the use of the any special, equipment, text or object. The test and interpretations are enough to use and evaluate results on their own. Notably, the training does not make use of any specific or special training because it only requires a self evaluation.
The MAST is often limited by the extended duration during administration. This discourages some users from utilizing the test as they are unwilling to set aside that sound of time. It is longer compared to other tests such as the Addiction Severity Index. They usually take about 5 minutes or less. This is half the time it takes to do the MAST. Health care workers may shy away from administering this test if the patient is in a critical stage and needs immediate attention. The test results may be more useful if they are used on a question to question basis. This is what most clinics use to develop a personalized treatment plan for the addict (Babor & Biddle, 2000).
The MAST is also limited based on the fact that it does not concentrate on the patients current problems. It delves deeper into the history of the patient and builds up a causal relationship instead of a status update. The test may therefore not provide accurate readings in the diagnosis of a patients addiction level. The diagnosis is simply a yes or no answer which states whether the tester is an alcoholic or not. The test has also been known to miss out on diagnosis of early addiction. This is because some of the questions necessary to meet the threshold are only relevant to long time drinkers. An example is the question about medical diagnosis of liver problems or psychiatric issues. The test may therefore give a new addict a false clean bill of health.
The MAST is useful in the overall diagnosis of an alcoholic status. It is also better when used in combination with the Addiction Severity Index. This is because a combination of the two gives a comprehensive report of the patients status. All in all, the test is suitable for the diagnosis and treatment of older or long time alcoholics.
References
Babor, T. F., & Higgins Biddle, J. C. (2000). Alcohol screening and brief intervention: dissemination strategies for medical practice and public health. Addiction , 95 (5), 677-686.
Feit, M. D., Fisher, C., Cummings, J., & Peery, A. (2015). Substance use and abuse: Screening Tools and assessment instruments. In Evidence-informed assessment and practice in child welfare (pp. 123-133). Springer, Cham.
Minnich, A., Erford, B. T., Bardhoshi, G., & Atalay, Z. (2018). Systematic Review of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test. Journal of Counseling " Development , 96 (3), 335-344.
Schmidt, C. S., Schulte, B., Seo, H. N., Kuhn, S., O'donnell, A., Kriston, L., & Reimer, J. (2016). Meta‐analysis on the effectiveness of alcohol screening with brief interventions for patients in emergency care settings. Addiction , 111 (5), 783-794.
