Objective
To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a shortened Brazilian version of the Addiction Severity Index 6 (ASI-6 Light), previously proposed from a validation study of the instrument constructs and developing new scores for each instrument area based on the Item Response Theory (IRT).
Methods
Two hundred subjects were interviewed, 100 with the abuse of alcohol and other drugs and 100 without problematic use. The scores of individuals were calculated from the Item Response Theory. The psychometric properties were evaluated by the correlation between the scores of the ASI-6 Light and Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), the gold standard study. The sensitivity and specificity rates were calculated.
Results
A high correlation between the scores of the area “alcohol” ASI-6 Light and scores ASSIST regarding alcohol was found (r = 0.79), moderate correlations with tobacco (r = 0.47) and cocaine/crack (r = 0.44) and low (r = 0.39) with respect to marijuana. Correlating ASSIST scores and the scores of the area “drugs” ASI-6 Light obtained a high correlation to cocaine/crack (r = 0.85), moderate correlations with tobacco (r = 0.57) and marijuana (r = 0.68) and low (r = 0.29) compared to alcohol. The area under the ROC curve of area “alcohol” was 0.93 and the area “drugs” was 0.88.
Conclusion
Good evidence of validity of the area “alcohol” and “drugs” were presented. This new version has become an instrument for easy handling and quick application, containing the items that best assess the severity of problems.
Validation study; Addiction Severity Index; psychotropic substances
