AUTHOR=Yang Hongmei , Chen Fu , Liu Xiaoxiao , Xin Tao 

TITLE=An Item Response Theory Analysis of DSM-5 Heroin Use Disorder in a Clinical Sample of Chinese Adolescents

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Psychology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02209

DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02209

ISSN=1664-1078

ABSTRACT=<p>The study examined the dimensionality and psychometric properties of <italic>Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition</italic> (<italic>DSM-5</italic>) criteria for heroin use disorder in a clinical sample of Chinese adolescents using item response theory approach. We examined 168 adolescents aged 14.8–17.9 years, who were in treatment for heroin use disorder. A two-parameter logistic item response theory model was conducted to examine the severity and discrimination of <italic>DSM-5</italic> criteria for heroin use disorder. Differential item functioning across age and ethnicity was assessed. Results supported the hypothesis that the <italic>DSM-5</italic> criteria for heroin use disorder were arrayed an underlying unitary dimension of severity in clinical adolescents. All the items exhibited good discriminatory power in distinguishing between clinical adolescent heroin users. Although three criteria exhibited measurement non-invariance at the item level, the overall <italic>DSM-5</italic> heroin use disorder diagnostic criteria set appears to achieve measurement invariance at the scale level.</p>