Brief Description
The DSM-5 Level 2—Substance Use—Child (DSM5-SU-C) looks at substance use in children and adolescents. It considers substances such as alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, and illicit drugs. The DSM5-SU-C is often used to track severity of substance use and symptoms over time. Respondents rate how often they use the substances listed (e.g., “During the past 2 weeks, about how often did you have 4 or more drinks in a single day?”) on a scale from “Not at all” to “Nearly every day.”
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
15
Age Range for Administration
11-17
Recommended Frequency of Administration
Every 2 weeks
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The DSM5-SU-C contains 15 questions scored on a 5-point Likert scale with values from 0 (“Not at all”) to 4 (“Nearly every day”). A total score is calculated by summing the item responses and ranges from 0 to 60; higher scores are associated with higher levels of, or more frequent, substance abuse. However, it is important to pay attention to the individual item ratings, as each question asks about a different substance. Multiple answers greater than 0 indicate greater severity and complexity of substance abuse.
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 3-5 minutes
The DSM5-SU-C is adapted from the NIDA-Modified ASSIST, which is another measure for substance use.
Substance use in children/adolescents is especially problematic because it affects their growth and development, namely brain development. Substance use also often goes along with other risky behaviors, such as drunk driving and risky sexual behavior.
Research has shown that early substance use increases the chances of later substance use problems.
Citation
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