Personal Experience Inventory: An Assessment of the Instrument's Validity Among a Delinquent Population in Washington State

• NCJ Number: 149284
• Author(s): D R Guthmann; D C Brenna
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 11 pages
• Corporate Author: Washington Dept of Social and Health Services
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Washington Dept of Social and Health Services
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study attempted to validate the Personal Experience Inventory (PEI), developed to assess the level and nature of substance abuse, among a population of chronic delinquent adolescents institutionalized in Washington State.

Abstract

The PEI addresses three dimensions related to diagnosing adolescent chemical dependency: problem severity, risk factors, and variables associated with diagnostic classification of substance use disorders. A sample of 95 chronic or serious juvenile offenders was evaluated by a local substance abuse assessment specialist. Clinicians conducted an interview assessing the nature and impact of substance use in the client's life. They were provided with a rating form, with items corresponding to the 22 subscales produced by the PEI. The PEI was then administered to each of the juvenile offenders. Data showed that the PEI substance abuse and defensiveness scores, as well as several subscales, were significantly correlated to rating by independent clinicians, providing evidence of convergent validity. PEI high-risk subscales were strongly correlated with the general PEI chemical dependency score. 4 tables and 1 appendix