Assessing the reliability of scores produced by the substance abuse subtle screening inventory

The Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI) is a 10 scale indirect screening instrument used to detect substance use disorders. The current meta-analytic study described reliability reporting practices across 48 studies involving the SASSI. Reliability generalization methods were then employed to evaluate typical score reliability for the screening measure. Results showed approximately 73% of studies did not report reliability estimates. Analysis of data from the remaining studies revealed adequate reliability for the total scale (alpha = .87) and face valid scales (FVA alpha = .88 and FVOD alpha = .92), but substantially lower reliability estimates for the indirect scales (range of alpha = .23-.65). The study's findings underscore the need for improved reliability reporting for the SASSI and suggest cautious use of the measure, especially its indirect scales, as an indicator of problematic substance use/abuse in clinical settings.