Background and objectives: To assess the impact of gender-tailored alcohol screening criteria.
Methods: Among N = 1,349 women, we calculated the proportion screening positive for unhealthy alcohol use with non-tailored versus gender-tailored criteria (a gender-tailored binge-drinking item, lower screen-positive threshold, or both).
Results: Three percent more women screened positive with a modified binge-drinking question, most reporting risky drinking. Fifteen percent more women screened positive with a lower threshold; most did not report risky drinking.
Discussion and conclusions: Gender-tailored binge-drinking questions may improve detection of women's unhealthy alcohol use.
Scientific significance: These results can inform future efforts to improve alcohol screening for women. (Am J Addict 2018;27:97-100).
© 2018 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.