Background: The present study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ), a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among psychiatric outpatients. Methods: We recruited 340 subjects via an outpatient psychiatric service in Italy. Forty-eight had a diagnosis of ASD, confirmed after a comprehensive clinical assessment and the administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). The remaining 292 participants had other diagnoses, confirmed after a careful psychiatric evaluation and the administration of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). The ASDASQ was administered to contact clinicians of each subject. Results: The ASDASQ showed outstanding accuracy (AUC = 0.96) in discriminating between ASD and non-ASD patients, with good sensitivity (0.85) and specificity (0.92). Agreement with clinical diagnosis was substantial (k = 0.68). Internal consistency of the tool was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82), while intra- (ICC = 0.97) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.92) were excellent. We found also a moderate correlation between ASDASQ and ADOS-2 scores in the ASD sample (r = 0.56). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the ASDASQ, in the Italian adaptation, may be considered a quick, simple, and effective tool to screen for ASD among psychiatric outpatients. Further studies are needed to evaluate its utility in other clinical settings.
Psychometric properties of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ) in a sample of Italian psychiatric outpatients
Fusar-Poli Laura
;
2020-01-01
Abstract
Background: The present study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the Autism Spectrum Disorder in Adults Screening Questionnaire (ASDASQ), a screening tool for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) among psychiatric outpatients. Methods: We recruited 340 subjects via an outpatient psychiatric service in Italy. Forty-eight had a diagnosis of ASD, confirmed after a comprehensive clinical assessment and the administration of the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). The remaining 292 participants had other diagnoses, confirmed after a careful psychiatric evaluation and the administration of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5). The ASDASQ was administered to contact clinicians of each subject. Results: The ASDASQ showed outstanding accuracy (AUC = 0.96) in discriminating between ASD and non-ASD patients, with good sensitivity (0.85) and specificity (0.92). Agreement with clinical diagnosis was substantial (k = 0.68). Internal consistency of the tool was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.82), while intra- (ICC = 0.97) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.92) were excellent. We found also a moderate correlation between ASDASQ and ADOS-2 scores in the ASD sample (r = 0.56). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the ASDASQ, in the Italian adaptation, may be considered a quick, simple, and effective tool to screen for ASD among psychiatric outpatients. Further studies are needed to evaluate its utility in other clinical settings.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
