Prediction of DISC substance abuse and dependency for ethnically diverse adolescents.

PURPOSE: This study examines the validity of selected items from the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-Adolescent (SASSI-A) version in predicting Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (DISC version 2.3) Substance abuse and dependency (SA/D) for Native Hawaiian (i.e., indigenous people of the Hawaiian Islands) and non-Hawaiian adolescents (youth without any Native Hawaiian indigenous ancestry).

METHODS: 542 students were randomly selected from the larger sample to participate in the DISC administration. Demographic information, SASSI-A scores, and DISC diagnoses were obtained for each student. Univariate and multiple logistic regressions were performed in the prediction of DISC SA/D.

RESULTS: SASSI-A Factor 1, consisting of three items measuring substance use, was found to have the best utility, accounting for 18.1% of the variance, in predicting DISC SA/D.

IMPLICATIONS: These results support selected SASSI-A items in screening for SA/D for Native Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian adolescents in Hawaii as compared to other community-based screening instruments for other populations.