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Abstract
Archival data of 305 men and 119 women arrested for DUI (driving under the influence of alcohol) were examined to determine the usefulness of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory, Third Edition (SASSI-3). Analyses were aimed not only to its stand-alone validity but also to its incremental benefit when added to a predictive battery already containing demographic data and the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test (MAST).
As a stand-alone, participants classified “probably dependent” on the SASSI-3 exceeded those classified “low probability of dependence” in BAC (blood alcohol concentration) and lifetime number of DUI's. However, they were not more likely to have had a motor vehicle crash or re-arrest for DUI. The SASSI-3 Corrections (COR) subscale was associated with the lifetime number of DUI's.
In analyses of the SASSI-3's incremental benefit, adding the SASSI-3 classification to a model including the MAST and demographic variables better predicted the lifetime number of DUI's but did not increase the model's association with BAC. The COR subscale had incremental value for lifetime number of DUI's. The MAST was related to BAC, being re-arrested for DUI, lifetime number of DUI's, and having had a vehicle crash at time of DUI arrest.
These findings give some support for the validity of the SASSI-3 but indicate that SASSI-3 validity is selective and more limited than that of the MAST.
