ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: The Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale (BADDS) was developed as a self-report assessment that was designed to screen for presence of symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The objective here was to translate and validate the adult self-report BADDS for use in Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-cultural validation study conducted in an addiction unit at a public university hospital. METHODS: This study included a control group (n = 100) and a drug-user group (n = 100). Both groups included subjects aged 18 to 60 years old. The control group had no prior diagnosis of drug addiction and the drug-user group included participants with a diagnosis of addiction. Each participant answered Brazilian Portuguese translations of both the BADDS and the Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Self-Report Scale (ASRS) questionnaires, in paper-and-pencil format. RESULTS: The drug-user group scored higher than the control group on both scales. The mean scores on ASRS were 27.26 (standard deviation, SD: 11.99) and 25.85 (SD: 8.65) respectively (P > 0.05). The mean scores on BADDS were 79.56 (SD: 29.61) and 79.31 (SD: 18.09), respectively (P > 0.05). Cronbach’s alpha for BADDS was 0.95. BADDS presented fair sensitivity (72% accuracy) and fair specificity (88% accuracy). CONCLUSION: This study provides discriminative validity evidence for use of BADDS among Brazilian adults with substance-use disorders.

OBJETIVO: Investigar a consistência interna e a dimensionalidade do questionário Short Alcohol Dependence Data utilizado em pacientes de um hospital geral. MÉTODO: Foi utilizada a versão de 15 questões do Short Alcohol Dependence Data em um estudo de corte transversal envolvendo 169 pacientes aleatoriamente selecionados internados em um hospital geral universitário em São Paulo, Brasil. RESULTADOS: A consistência interna do Short Alcohol Dependence Data medida pelo alfa de Cronbach foi 0,79, sugerindo que os itens do questionário convergem para um mesmo construto. A análise do componente principal da escala resultou em uma solução de cinco dimensões que explicam 69,6 % da variabilidade dos dados. A média das pontuações do Short Alcohol Dependence Data foi 7,97 (DP = 6,8). CONCLUSÃO: A versão adaptada do Short Alcohol Dependence Data parece manter as características do questionário original. A consistência interna elevada sugere que as questões convergem para um mesmo construto e a solução fatorial reflete a existência de distintas dimensões que correspondem aos diversos aspectos da síndrome de dependência do álcool.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the internal consistency and dimensionality of the Short Alcohol Dependence Data questionnaire in a general hospital sample. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 169 randomly selected inpatients of a general hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. A Portuguese version of the 15-item Short Alcohol Dependence Data questionnaire was applied together with a questionnaire to assess demographic and anthropometric data. RESULTS: The internal consistency of the Short Alcohol Dependence Data as measured using Cronbach's alpha was 0.79, indicating that the items of the questionnaire are related to the same construct. Principal Component Analysis of the scale resulted in a five-dimension solution accounting for 69.6% of the total variance. The mean score of the Short Alcohol Dependence Data in this sample was 7.96 (SD = 6.8). CONCLUSION: The adapted version of the SADD seems to retain the characteristics of the original version. The internal consistency of the instrument suggests that its questions converge to the same construct. The factorial solution reflects different dimensions that correspond to distinct aspects of the alcohol dependence syndrome.