• Hendrée E Jones, Carl Seashore, Elisabeth Johnson, Evette Horton, Kevin E O'Grady, Kim Andringa, Matthew R Grossman, Bonny Whalen, and Alison Volpe Holmes.
• UNC Horizons and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• Am J Addict. 2016 Aug 1; 25 (5): 370-3.

Background And ObjectivesThe present study examined the psychometric characteristics of the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (NASS; "Finnegan Scale") and the MOTHER NAS Scale (MNS).MethodsSecondary analysis of data from 131 neonates from the Maternal Opioid Treatment: Human Experimental Research (MOTHER) study, a randomized trial in opioid-dependent pregnant women administered buprenorphine or methadone.ResultsBoth the NASS and MNS demonstrated poor psychometric properties, with internal consistency (Cronbach's αs) failing to exceed .62 at first administration, peak NAS score, and NAS treatment initiation.ConclusionsFindings support the need for development of a NAS measure based on sound psychometric principles.Scientific SignificanceThis study found that two frequently used measures of neonatal abstinence syndrome suffer inadequacies in regard to their basic measurement characteristics. (Am J Addict 2016;25:370-373).© 2016 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

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