Tobacco, Alcohol, Prescription Drug, and Illicit Substance Use- Electronic Spanish Platform (TAPS-ESP)

TAPS-ESP is a two-stage screening and assessment tool that first screens for 4 broad substance abuse categories (tobacco, alcohol, prescription drug misuse, and illicit substances), then branches to the assessment for specific risks related to an array of substances. TAPS-ESP scores will be validated against the modified World Mental Health Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) including alcohol, tobacco, and 9 substance categories. The CIDI items mapped to the diagnostic criteria for each substance will serve as the primary criterion standard for validation of the TAPS-ESP. For detecting CIDI-derived substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis, we will examine TAPS-ESP cut-points for the 4-item screener and the assessment in detecting problem severity defined by CIDI for detecting different tiers of substance use: Problem use (1+ criteria), SUD (2+ criteria), and moderate-to-severe SUD (4-11 criteria). Detection of SUD will be the primary outcome for each substance category.

The ASSIST was developed for the World Health Organization to screen for alcohol, tobacco, and drug use in medical care settings. For each substance, the use dimensions include lifetime use, past 3 month use, urges or cravings to use, and adverse consequences from use, as well as concerns expressed by family or friends about use (lifetime, past 3 months), failed attempts to control, cut down, or stop use (lifetime, past 3 months), and drug injection (lifetime, past 3 months). The ASSIST provides substance-specific risk scores 9 substance classes, with scores of 1-3 corresponding to low risk, 4-26 (10-26 for alcohol) to moderate risk, and 27 or higher to high risk.

The DAST-10 is a ten-item yes/no screen for general drug use problems (not including alcohol). Each item is worth one point, and respondents are tiered into risk categories based on score, with more intensive assessment recommended at a score of 6 or higher. It has been widely used in the substance use field, but does not distinguish between types of drugs used. A Spanish language version has been developed.

The CAGE is a rapid alcoholism screening test comprised of four yes/no questions (Cut Down, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-Opener) for which ONE yes answer to any of the four items indicates DSM-IV alcohol abuse or dependence. A Spanish language version was validated in both Spain and the US, where it performed well in identifying DSM-IV alcohol abuse or dependence among Latinx primary care patients.

The AUDIT is a 10-item questionnaire which covers the domains of alcohol consumption, drinking behavior, and alcohol-related problems. It was developed from a six-country World Health Organization collaborative project as a screening instrument for hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption. Responses to each of the 10 questions are scored according to a frequency rating of 0 (never) to 4 (daily), giving the entire questionnaire a possible score of 40. A score of 8 or more indicates harmful or hazardous alcohol use. A Spanish language version of the AUDIT is available.

The FTND is comprised of six questions scored on a point system, with total scoring summing between 0 and 10. Higher scores indicate heavier reliance on nicotine. The FTDN has been widely used in the tobacco field for decades. It has been found to be internally consistent and an acceptable way to measure nicotine/tobacco dependency. The FTND has been translated into Spanish and validated.