Psychoactive substance abuse is a severe health problem facing the United States of America. The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) was empirically derived as an instrument to screen for substance dependence, independent of a respondent’s ability or willingness to acknowledge related symptoms. The principal goal of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SASSI-2, including a seminal investigation of the empirical relationship between the Defensiveness scale and a well-validated measure of depression. Data were collected from both partners of cohabitating or married couples in which the men met DSM-IV substance dependence criteria on two or more drugs (length of abstinence between 21 days to one year). Participants were interviewed and administered questionnaires, including the SASSI-2 and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The SASSI-2 demonstrated excellent sensitivity (93.4%) and specificity (90.1%) rates among the female participants (N=263). For the male participants (N=254), the SASSI-2 scored an excellent sensitivity rate of 96.4%. The results also illustrated significant Pearson correlations between the Defensiveness scale and the BDI for both the female (r=-.42, r2=.176, p< .01) and male (r=-.384, r2=.147, p< .01) participants. The results provide empirical support for the validity of the SASSI-2. Clinical implications of these results will be discussed.
Learning Objectives: 1. Participants will gain an enhanced understanding of the psychometric properties of the SASSI-2. 2. Participants will be able to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the SASSI-2, as well as the correlation of its Defensiveness scale with a well-validated measure of depression. 3. Participants will be able to generalize the results of this SASSI-2 study to the current edition (SASSI-3), and discuss their importance in the assessment of chemically dependent persons.
Keywords: Drug Abuse Treatment, Drug Addiction
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) Institute
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.