Cross-validation of a heroin addiction (He) scale in a treatment setting

An He (Heroin addiction) scale has been developed from the MMPI for differentiating incarcerated addicts from nonaddicts. Its clinical utility has not been tested among addicts seeking treatment in hospital-based treatment programs. In this cross-validation study, the He scale did not differentiate heroin users (n = 336) from polydrug users (n = 179). Further, White heroin users scored significantly higher than Black heroin users. Findings were similar in both analysis of variance and co-variance designs, both when potentially-confounding covariates were controlled and uncontrolled (i.e., the covariates age, education, socioeconomic status, and admission status). Although the scale showed promise for differentiating compulsive users of proscribed drugs categorized generally (but not heroin users specifically), nevertheless additional refinement of the scale is needed before it can be applied in hospital settings. Race, age, and admission status emerged as subject background characteristics meriting systematic attention in scale refinement.