Psychometric properties of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-3

The psychometric properties of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-3 (SASSI-3) were analyzed using a sample of 254 college students. Internal consistency coefficients were calculated for the total scale and its subscales, with the face-valid subscales yielding the highest coefficients. The ability of the SASSI-3 to identify students with a current alcohol dependence disorder (as measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview - Substance Abuse Module, DSM-IV) was also evaluated. The total scale was found to offer only a very limited degree of clinical utility (sensitivity =.65). The scale's sensitivity was significantly enhanced when the cutting score for one of its subscales (the Face-Valid Alcohol [FVA] subscale) was optimized in the present sample (new sensitivity level =.89), but even with that change, the performance of the overall scale was matched by that of the FVA subscale alone. These results raise questions about the usefulness of the subtle items of the SASSI-3 in identifying alcohol dependence in a college population.