To our knowledge, the only other IRT analysis of adolescent drinking is provided in an analysis of 472 clinical adolescents (Martin et al., 2006). Consistent with our study, Martin and colleagues found that the DSM-IV symptom criteria for AUD perform better in the moderate range of severity but are less accurate at mild and more severe ranges, and do not support the DSM-IV abuse–dependence distinction. Although the symptom criteria for tolerance, give up activities, cut down, withdrawal, and legal problems had similar characteristics with respect to item threshold and discrimination, there were considerable differences among the other six symptom criteria. These differences might be a function of illness severity among treatment populations compared with the general population. A recent IRT analysis of DSM-IV symptom criteria in a sample of 22,526 current drinkers age 18 and older from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) provides a better comparison for the present analysis (Saha et al., 2006). In contrast to the present study, the test information function in the NESARC analysis peaked at more severe AUD levels and
