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Further Validation of the Adolescent Form of the SASSI

NCJ Number
181575
Journal
Journal of Child and Adolescent Substance Abuse Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: 1999 Pages: 51-71
Author(s)
Sheri Bauman; Rod Merta; Robert Steiner
Date Published
1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
The validity of the Adolescent Form of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) was examined using data from two studies.
Abstract
The SASSI Adolescent Form was designed to determine the level of risk of drug dependence in adolescents ages 12-18 years and to detect drug problems in individuals who are defensive and in denial. SASSI materials indicate that the instrument is between 80 and 90 percent accurate in identifying youths with drug-related disorders. The present research compared SASSI profiles of adolescents designated as high-risk (students at an alternative high school) with adolescents in a residential treatment center for a variety of diagnoses. The second study examined the validity of the clinical interpretations of SASSI profiles to provide empirical support for those interpretive guidelines. The SASSI effectively distinguished between an at-risk high school group and individuals in a residential center. However, the agreement of the SASSI classification with the clinical diagnosis was only 62 percent; the Kappa coefficient confirmed the lack of strong agreement. The research also examined the predictive validity of the clinical subscales. The defensiveness subscale was a poor indicator of a diagnosis of depressive disorder; the correctional subscale score was not associated with a clinical diagnosis of conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder. Findings did not support the hypothesis that a SASSI rule of thumb could be used to predict a diagnosis of drug abuse. Tables, figure, and 37 references (Author abstract modified)