Validation of the World Health Organization Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST): Report of Results From the Australian Site

• NCJ Number: 212401
• Journal: Drug and Alcohol Review Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: May 2005 Pages: 217-226
• Author(s): David A. L. Newcombe; Rachel E. Humeniuk; Robert Ali
• Date Published: May 2005
• Length: 10 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: World Health Organization
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using an Australian sample, this study examined the concurrent, construct, discriminative, and predictive validity of the World Health Organization's Alcohol Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST).

Abstract

This Australian testing of ASSIST was part of the multisite international study that investigated the validity of the ASSIST instrument, whose development was sponsored by the World Health Organization to address the need for a reliable and valid culturally adaptable screening test for problematic or risky substance use. A total of 150 participants recruited from drug treatment and primary health care settings were administered a battery of instruments at baseline and a modified battery after 3 months. Instruments included the ASSIST; the Addiction Severity Index-Lite (ASI-Lite); the Severity of Dependence Scale (SDS); the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI-Plus); the Rating of Injection Site Condition (RISC); the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST); the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT); the Revised Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire (RTQ); and the Maudsely Addiction Profile (MAP). Concurrent validity was demonstrated with significant correlations between ASSIST scores and scores from the ASI-Lite, SDS, AUDIT, and DAST, as well as significantly greater ASSIST scores and measures of risk factors for the development of drug and alcohol problems. Participants diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder or antisocial personality disorder had significantly higher ASSIST scores than those without such diagnoses. ASSIST discriminated between substance use, abuse, and dependence. Predictive validity was shown by similarity in ASSIST scores obtained at baseline and at follow-up. In the Australian sample, ASSIST proved to be a valid screening test for psychoactive substance use in individuals who use a number of substances and have varying degrees of substance use. 4 tables and 16 references