The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #65630

A. T. Panter, PhD¹, G. J. Huba, PhD², Lisa A. Melchior, PhD², Ariane K. Kawata, MA¹, and Vivian B. Brown, PhD³. (1) Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, L. L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory, CB#3270, Davie Hall, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3270, 919-962-4012, panter@unc.edu, (2) The Measurement Group, 5811A Uplander Way, Culver City, CA 90230, (3) PROTOTYPES, 5601 West Slauson Avenue, Suite 200, Culver City, CA 90230

The Addiction Severity Index (ASI; McLellan et al., 1992) is a widely used assessment for problem severity upon entry into substance abuse treatment. It yields a range of indicators of problem severity for alcohol and drug use as well as areas of functioning including medical, employment, legal, family-social, and psychiatric. Some ASI indicators are psychometrically-based composites and scales, while others are single-item problem severity ratings. Some indicators assess problem severity in the past 30 days, some assess severity for lifetime, and some use a combination of time frames. Alternate ASI scoring approaches have been suggested (McDermott et al., 1996) but limited normative data are available for only a subset of these indicators (e.g., Alterman et al., 2000). To evaluate different ASI scoring approaches in a treatment screening setting, data from 2,697 individuals were examined for an evaluation of services provided at a community assessment center for substance abuse and mental health services in Los Angeles County. The sample was 62.4 percent male and 37.6 percent female; 60.1 percent Latino/Hispanic, 24.2 percent Caucasian, 11.2 percent African American, 1.9 percent Native American, 1.6 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and less than one percent of unknown racial/ethnic background. Measures of lifetime and recent (past 30 day) problem severity, as assessed by two major ASI scoring approaches, are compared across four subgroups of individuals: referrals from social services (CalWORKs and General Relief), criminal justice, and community referrals. Practical and psychometric recommendations for use of different ASI scoring approaches in pre-treatment community assessment centers are discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to:
• 1. Identify seven measurement domains of the Addiction Severity Index
• 2. Identify five different sets of measurement indicators developed from the Addiction Severity Index
• 3. Describe at least two tradeoffs involved in choosing among different measures of problem severity in a pre-treatment screening/assessment setting

Keywords: Substance Abuse Assessment, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.