Social Psychiatry, Vol. 54 No. 2, 2026.
Meeting abstract
https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2026.224
Alcohol-Related Risk Stratification Among Croatian Competitive Athletes: AUDIT-C and CAGE-AID Within the SMHAT-1 Framework
Frane Franić
; School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
*
Katarina Šore
; Teaching Institute for Public Health of Split-Dalmatia County, Split, Croatia
Stipe Drmić
; Dubrava University Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia
Darko Marčinko
; School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia; University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Tomislav Franić
; University Hospital of Split, Split, Croatia; School of Medicine, University of Split, Split, Croatia
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
Objective: Alcohol use among adolescents and
young adults in Croatia is highly prevalent, but
patterns of risky consumption among competitive
athletes have not yet been sufficiently investigated.
The aim of this study was to examine
alcohol screening results using the AUDIT-C and
CAGE-AID among Croatian competitive athletes
and to analyze differences by sex and type
of sport. Materials and methods: A secondary
analysis was conducted on cross-sectional data collected as part of the Croatian implementation
of the IOC Sport Mental Health Assessment Tool
1 (SMHAT-1). Competitive athletes (N ≈ 869)
from various sports disciplines participated in the
study and completed standardized instruments
for assessing mental health and alcohol use. The
AUDIT-C was used to assess risky alcohol consumption,
and the CAGE-AID to identify possible
problems related to the use of alcohol and other
psychoactive substances. Statistical analysis: The
prevalences of positive screening findings and differences
by sex and type of sport were analyzed
using χ² tests. Internal consistency of the instruments
was also evaluated. Results: The AUDIT-C
identified 28.42% of athletes above the risk
threshold, while the CAGE-AID identified 6.00%.
Female athletes showed a higher rate of positive
AUDIT-C results than male athletes (35.88% vs.
19.01%; p < 0.001), while no sex difference was
found on the CAGE-AID (p = 0.252). Athletes in
individual sports had higher positivity on both
the AUDIT-C (33.10%) and CAGE-AID (7.14%)
compared to team sports (19.32% and 3.73%,
respectively). The internal consistency of the instruments
was satisfactory (AUDIT-C α = 0.77;
CAGE-AID α = 0.73). Conclusion: Risky alcohol
consumption is common among Croatian competitive
athletes, especially in individual sports.
The findings point to the need for differentiated
screening strategies and preventive interventions
in the sports setting.
Keywords
athletes; alcohol; AUDIT-C; CAGE-AID; SMHAT-1
Hrčak ID:
352371
URI
Publication date:
15.6.2026.
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