Predictive Validity of the Assessment - icadts

0 downloads 0 Views 180KB Size Report
DAST scales compared to clients who did not use this type of drug. However, there were .... the assessment situation3,9,10. The present study suggests that ...
Predictive Validity of the RIASI: Alcohol and Drug Use and Problems Six Months Following Remedial Program Participation R Shuggi RE Mann R Flam-Zalcman B Chipperfield T Nochajski Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 33 Russell St., Toronto, Canada M5S 2S1 Background In programs for convicted drinking drivers, screening and assessment is often carried out with the purpose of determining the nature or level of problems that clients may be experiencing, or for determining their recidivism risk. In this context the ability of these measures to predict future behaviour or problems is of particular interest. Predictive validity is a major interest when the ability of a test or measure to estimate some important criterion 1. It is frequently recommended that these and other psychometric qualities of assessment instruments should be of measured and meet acceptable standards, but often instruments used in programs for convicted drinking drivers do not have adequate psychometric data available, or do not meet standards of psychometric adequacy2,3 . Ontario’s remedial measures program for convicted drinking drivers, Back on Track, begins with a web-based assessment carried out by an addictions professional. The instruments used in BOT’s assessment process include the Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS4) and the DAST5, chosen because they have been widely used in Ontario with clients with a substance abuse problem and have known psychometric properties, and the Research Institute on Addictions Self Inventory (RIASI6), chosen because of the available psychometric evidence which pointed to its utility with drinking driving populations. Predictive validity, while important, is perhaps the least frequently studied form of validity because of the effort involved in following clients over time. Ontario’s BOT program includes a mandatory follow-up, conducted 6 months after program completion, and this follow-up provides an important opportunity to assess the predictive validity of the BOT assessment instrument. Methods Since 2000, all BOT program participants are required to complete the assessment, and also are required to complete a follow-up interview a minimum of six months following program completion. In the follow-up interview clients provide information in several areas related to alcohol and drug use and problems, including subsequent use of health care services and legal contacts and charges. The clients included in this analysis were the 6003 individuals who completed the follow-up up to December 31, 2002. The large majority of clients (about 96%) completed the followup within 7 months of participating in their assigned education or treatment program. The ability of the RIASI, as well as the ADS and the DAST, to predict substance use, adverse consequences of substance use, and use of health and correctional services was assessed.

Results and Analysis Substances used in the 3 months prior to the follow-up date: Table 1 summarizes assessment scores for clients who did and did not report use of various substances in the 3 months prior to the follow-up interview. T-tests were used to compare the differences in the four assessment measures for the group of clients who used alcohol and other drugs in the period considered and the group who did not for each of the substances specified. Clients who used alcohol had significantly higher mean scores (p