Assessing Adolescent Substance Abuse Programs with Updated Quality Indicators: The Development of a Consumer Guide for Adolescent Treatment.

When adolescent substance abuse requires treatment, few parents know which treatment features are important and which treatment programs are effective. There are few resources to help them select appropriate care. We describe early work on an evaluation method and comparative treatment guide for parents based upon the premise that the quality of a program and its potential effectiveness is a function of the number and frequency of evidence-based treatment practices (EBPs) delivered. Thus, we describe the development of and measurement approach for a set of EBPs toward the goal of developing a Consumer Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment.

Effect of patient choice in an adaptive sequential randomization trial of treatment for alcohol and cocaine dependence.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of providing choice of treatment alternatives to patients who fail to engage in or drop out of intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) for substance dependence. METHOD: Alcohol- and/or cocaine-dependent patients (N = 500) participated in a sequential, multiple-assignment, randomized trial (SMART). Those who failed to engage in an IOP at Week 2 (N = 189) or who dropped out after engagement (N = 84) were randomized for motivational-interviewing (MI) telephone calls that focused on engagement in an IOP (MI-IOP) or provided a choice of IOP type or 3 treatment options (MI-PC, or patient choice). Those not engaged at both 2 and 8 weeks (N = 102) were re-randomized either to MI-PC or no further outreach. Outcomes were treatment attendance and measures of alcohol and cocaine use obtained at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months. RESULTS: MI-PC produced better attendance than comparison conditions in patients who dropped out after initial engagement and in those re-randomized at 8 weeks. However, contrary to study hypotheses, MI-IOP produced significantly better alcohol-use outcomes than MI-PC in alcohol-dependent patients not engaged at Week 2. There were no other significant differences between treatment conditions on other main-effect analyses with alcohol- or cocaine-outcome measures. CONCLUSION: Providing treatment options via telephone calls to patients who failed to engage in IOP did not produce better substance-use outcomes than outreach calls focused on engagement in IOP. Future researchers should investigate the potential benefits of choice at other points in treatment (e.g., at intake) as well as choice of other combinations of treatments.

Addiction Severity Index (ASI) summary scores: comparison of the Recent Status Scores of the ASI-6 and the Composite Scores of the ASI-5.

The characteristics and the validity of the Recent Status Scores (RSSs), the new summary scores generated by the sixth version of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6), are compared to the fifth version of the ASI summary scores, the Composite Scores (CSs). A sample of 82 randomly selected patients from substance abuse treatment programs were interviewed with the ASI-6, the ASI-5 and were administered a validity battery of questionnaires that included measures corresponding to each of the ASI domains. Each ASI-6 RSS was significantly correlated with its corresponding ASI-5 CS. The intercorrelations among the RSSs are low and none of these correlations were statistically different from the intercorrelations among CSs. In five of the seven areas, the ASI-6 RSSs were more highly correlated to the corresponding validity measures than were the ASI-5 CSs. The ASI-6 offers more comprehensive content in its scales than do those derived with earlier ASIs.

Development and initial evaluation of the Brief Addiction Monitor (BAM).

This project developed and tested a 17-item monitoring instrument covering important substance use related behaviors to support measurement-based care and outcomes assessment. The study consisted of two phases, an instrument development phase and an initial study to examine its psychometric properties. Participants were 175 patients entering VA outpatient substance abuse treatment. The findings revealed that this Brief Addiction Monitor (BAM) exhibited acceptable characteristics. Exploratory factor analysis yielded three summary factors; recovery protection, physical and psychological problems, and substance use and risk. The root mean square error of approximation estimate was acceptable and the factors had alpha values exceeding or approaching 0.70. All three factors were sensitive to change and had excellent test-retest reliability. Predictive validity was demonstrated for two factors; recovery protection, and substance use and risk. At the item level, there was little indication of inappropriate response patterns. Change over time was significant for most items, and test-retest reliability was acceptable for nearly all items. Additional research is warranted to further establish the BAM's reliability, validity and usefulness.

Comparison of two ASI-based standardized patient placement approaches.

This study evaluated the predictive validity of two automated approaches based on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to patient placement criteria. Patients (N = 2,429) in 78 substance abuse treatment programs completed an ASI at intake and were assigned a treatment modality based on availability and clinical considerations. Treatment completion and self-reported abstinence 6 months post-discharge were collected. Two placement approaches were developed using ASI summary score cut points or problem-specific algorithms from ASI items. Both approaches showed evidence of predictive validity. Given the ASI's widespread use in community programs, evidence is provided in support of its ability to inform clinical judgment and implementation of standardized placement.

Recent status scores for version 6 of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6).

AIMS: To describe the derivation of recent status scores (RSSs) for version 6 of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI-6). DESIGN: 118 ASI-6 recent status items were subjected to nonparametric item response theory (NIRT) analyses followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Generalizability and concurrent validity of the derived scores were determined. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A total of 607 recent admissions to variety of substance abuse treatment programs constituted the derivation sample; a subset (n = 252) comprised the validity sample. MEASUREMENTS: The ASI-6 interview and a validity battery of primarily self-report questionnaires that included at least one measure corresponding to each of the seven ASI domains were administered. FINDINGS: Nine summary scales describing recent status that achieved or approached both high scalability and reliability were derived; one scale for each of six areas (medical, employment/finances, alcohol, drug, legal, psychiatric) and three scales for the family/social area. Intercorrelations among the RSSs also supported the multi-dimensionality of the ASI-6. Concurrent validity analyses yielded strong evidence supporting the validity of six of the RSSs (medical, alcohol, drug, employment, family/social problems, psychiatric). Evidence was weaker for the legal, family/social support and child problems RSSs. Generalizability analyses of the scales to males versus females and whites versus blacks supported the comparability of the findings, with slight exceptions. CONCLUSIONS: The psychometric analyses to derive Addiction Severity Index version 6 recent status scores support the multi-dimensionality of the Addiction Severity Index version 6 (i.e. the relative independence of different life functioning areas), consistent with research on earlier editions of the instrument. In general, the Addiction Severity Index version 6 scales demonstrate acceptable scalability, reliability and concurrent validity. While questions remain about the generalizability of some scales to population subgroups, the overall findings coupled with updated and more extensive content in the Addiction Severity Index version 6 support its use in clinical practice and research.

Relationship of Mental Health and Illness in Substance Abuse Patients.

This study examined the latent structure of a number of measures of mental health (MH) and mental illness (MI) in substance use disorder outpatients to determine whether they represent two independent dimensions, as Keyes (2005) found in a community sample. Seven aspects of MI assessed were assessed - optimism, personal meaning, spirituality/religiosity, social support, positive mood, hope, and vitality. MI was assessed with two measures of negative psychological moods/states, a measure of antisociality, and the Addiction Severity Index's recent psychiatric and family-social problem scores. Correlational and exploratory factor analyses revealed that MH and MI appear to reflect two independent, but correlated, constructs. However, optimism and social support had relatively high loadings on both factors. Antisociality and the family-social problem score failed to load significantly on the MI factor. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the existence of two obliquely related, negatively correlated dimensions. Study findings, although generally supporting the independence of MH and MI, suggest that the specific answers to this question may be influenced by the constructs and assessments used to measure them.

Measurement of mental health in substance use disorder outpatients.

Few studies have examined mental health (MH) attributes of patients with substance use disorder (SUD). This study examines the internal consistency, concurrent validity, and comparative level of MH attributes (i.e., optimism, life attitudes, spirituality/religiousness, social support, positive mood, hope, and vitality) in patients with SUD compared with the instrument development group. The internal consistency of optimism, spirituality/religiousness, positive mood, hope, and vitality were similar in both groups. Some subscales of the social support and life attitude measures had lower internal consistency than was found for the original samples, although internal consistency of more global constructs were comparable. Patients with SUD had higher positive mood, spirituality/religiousness, and hope scores, whereas social support, life attitudes, and optimism scores were lower than in the original sample. Correlations between MH attributes and recent life problems of patients with SUD generally supported the concurrent validity of the MH measures.

Reliability and validity of the alcohol short index of problems and a newly constructed drug short index of problems.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the 15-item alcohol Short Index of Problems (SIP) instrument and those of a newly constructed 15-item drug Short Index of Problems (SIP-D) instrument in 277 newly entered substance-abuse patients. METHOD: The SIP is derived from the longer, 50-item Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DrInC), which was designed to assess adverse consequences of alcohol use. The SIP-D was constructed by substituting the term "drug use" for the term "drinking" in each SIP item. A 3-month recall interval was employed. RESULTS: Factor analyses of each of the instruments revealed similar solutions, with only one main factor accounting for the majority of variance. Nonparametric item response theory methods produced the same finding. Internal consistency reliability estimates for the SIP and SIP-D total scores were .98 and .97, respectively. Concurrent validity was demonstrated by examining the correlations of the total scores for each of the instruments with the recent summary indexes of the newly revised Addiction Severity Index (ASI-Version 6): alcohol, drug, medical, economic, legal, family/social, and psychiatric problems. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to confirm the psychometric validity of the SIP when used as an independent instrument unembedded within the DrInC. The study also supports the use of the SIP-D as a brief measure of adverse consequences of drug use. The findings strongly support the unidimensional structure of both measures.

Treatment history: relationship to treatment outcomes.

It is important to understand whether the number of prior treatment episodes relate to treatment completion, discharge status, and 6-month outcomes. The data set contains information on 2,429 clients in treatment. A modified Addiction Severity Index was administered at the time of admission and at 6-months postdischarge. Additionally, length of stay and discharge status data were obtained. ANOVAs, MANOVAs, and chi(2) tests were used. Clients with the most prior treatment episodes had greater baseline substance use and psychosocial severity, and were more likely to be treated in residential settings. Nonetheless, treatment acceptance was greatest for these clients. Clients with no prior treatment reported the least acceptance. Treatment completion rates did not vary as a function of treatment experience. Clients achieved positive changes in multiple life domains regardless of treatment history. Nevertheless, at admission, discharge and follow-up, clients with >or= 2 treatments generally had greater problems than clients with fewer treatments.

Posttraumatic stress disorder and other psychopathology in substance abusing patients.

Studies demonstrating greater problem severity in substance abuse patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) versus those without have rarely considered other co-occurring psychiatric disorders. This study of 466 male veterans recently admitted to outpatient substance abuse treatment attempts to identify problems associated with PTSD versus those associated with other nonsubstance use Axis I disorders. Problem severity, particularly psychiatric, was examined across four groups of patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Those with: 1, SUDs only (SU-Only); 2, PTSD, but no other Axis I disorders (SU+PTSD); 3, PTSD and other Axis I disorders (SU+PTSD+Axis I); and 4, no PTSD, but other Axis I disorders (SU+other Axis I). Results suggested a hierarchy of psychiatric, and to a lesser extent, other life problem severities associated with these diagnostic groupings. The most severe group was SU+PTSD+Axis I, followed in decreasing severity by the SU+other Axis I, SU+PTSD, and SU-Only groups. Additional analyses comparing the SU+PTSD+Axis I patients with a subgroup of Axis I patients with more than one Axis I disorder (SU+multiple Axis I) revealed few group differences except for more lifetime suicide attempts and psychiatric hospitalizations in the SU+PTSD+Axis I group. The findings suggest that it is not PTSD per se, but the frequent co-occurrence of PTSD and other psychopathology that largely accounts for previously reported greater problem severity of SUD patients with PTSD.

Extending residential care through telephone counseling: initial results from the Betty Ford Center Focused Continuing Care protocol.

There is increasing evidence that a chronic care model may be effective when treating substance use disorders. In 1996, the Betty Ford Center (BFC) began implementing a telephone-based continuing care intervention now called Focused Continuing Care (FCC) to assist and support patients in their transition from residential treatment to longer-term recovery in the "real world". This article reports on patient utilization and outcomes of FCC. FCC staff placed clinically directed telephone calls to patients (N=4094) throughout the first year after discharge. During each call, a short survey was administered to gauge patient recovery and guide the session. Patients completed an average of 5.5 (40%) of 14 scheduled calls, 58% completed 5 or more calls, and 85% were participating in FCC two months post-discharge or later. There was preliminary evidence that greater participation in FCC yielded more positive outcomes and that early post-discharge behaviors predict subsequent outcomes. FCC appears to be a feasible therapeutic option. Efforts to revise FCC to enhance its clinical and administrative value are described.

Individual characteristics of the literally homeless, marginally housed, and impoverished in a US substance abuse treatment-seeking sample.

BACKGROUND: Many researchers and clinicians believe that understanding substance use problems is key to understanding homelessness. This study's purpose was to test, in a national sample of urban substance abuse treatment seekers, whether (1) income was related to amount of money spent on substances and (2) homeless chronic substance users had more severe psychosocial problems or histories than housed chronic substance users. METHOD: Questions assessing homelessness were inserted into the Drug Evaluation Network System-a computer-assisted intake interview (including the Addiction Severity Index) implemented in addiction treatment programs across the U.S. Based on these data, clients were divided into four residential groups: literally homeless (n = 654), marginally housed (n = 1138), housed poor (n = 3119), and housed not poor (n = 718). Income, human capital (education level and acquisition of a trade/skill), substance use, mental health, and social support were examined. RESULTS: The literally homeless was not the poorest group, although these clients did spend the most money on substances. All four groups' incomes were positively related to amount of money spent on drugs, but only the marginally housed's income was related to money spent on alcohol. The literally homeless had the most severe alcohol, mental health, and social support problems. The literally homeless and marginally housed had similar incomes and human capital and the most severe cocaine problems. In general the housed poor and housed not poor fared better than the literally homeless and marginally housed groups. DISCUSSION: Practitioners should continue to intervene with the homeless and consider working with the marginally housed's social support systems. Future research should examine the marginally housed as an at-risk group for homelessness.

Initial reliability and validity studies of the revised Treatment Services Review (TSR-6).

OBJECTIVE: Report the results of initial reliability and validity analyses for a revised Treatment Services Review (TSR-6) instrument which measures a broader range of services than the original TSR. METHOD: First, the number of services for a 28-day period was compared for three versions of the instrument varying in their reporting timeframes. Accordingly, four successive 7-day TSR-6s, two 14-day TSR-6s, or one 28-day TSR-6 were administered to more than 300 clients (30% women) in substance abuse treatment (SAT). Second, short-term (2-5 days) test-retest reliabilities were compared for an initial 7-, 14-, or 28-day version of the TSR-6. Third, test-retest reliabilities were compared when an initial in-person (IP) administration was followed by either IP or telephone (TEL) TSR-6 administration. Finally, preliminary discriminative validity analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Few differences in the quantity of services reported for a 4-week period were found with versions of the TSR-6 that used different timeframes. Also, comparisons of test-retest reliabilities for the different version of the TSR-6 revealed few differences. Test-retest reliabilities were generally comparable for the IP-TEL and IP-IP conditions. Finally, analyses demonstrated preliminary discriminative validity for the instrument when services for three distinctive forms of treatment: intensive outpatient, methadone and residential were compared. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study support the reliability and validity of the TSR-6 and suggest that a version with a 28-day reporting period can provide information comparable to that obtained with versions using shorter reporting periods.

Addiction Severity Index Recent and Lifetime summary indexes based on nonparametric item response theory methods.

Baseline Addiction Severity Index (5th ed.; ASI-5) data of 2,142 substance abuse patients were analyzed with two nonparametric item response theory (NIRT) methods: Mokken scaling and conditional covariance techniques. Nine reliable and dimensionally homogeneous Recent Problem indexes emerged in the ASI-5's seven areas, including two each in the Employment/Support and Family/Social Relationships areas. Lifetime Problem indexes were derived for five of the areas--Medical, Drug, Alcohol, Legal, and Psychiatric--but not for the Employment/Support and Family/Social Relationships areas. Correlational analyses conducted on a subsample of 586 patients revealed the indexes for the seven areas to be largely independent. At least moderate correlations were obtained between the Recent and Lifetime indexes within each area where both existed. Concurrent validity analyses conducted on this same subsample found meaningful relationships, except for the Employment/Support area. NIRT-based methods were able to add to findings produced previously by classical psychometric methods and appear to offer promise for the psychometric analysis of complex, mixed-format instruments such as the ASI-5.

Initial evidence for the reliability and validity of a "Lite" version of the Addiction Severity Index.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of a shortened version of the baseline ASI-5, the ASI-L-VA. METHOD: Two samples were recruited from intensive outpatient treatment and a methadone maintenance clinic. For Sample A (n=145), two versions of the Addiction Severity Index (i.e., ASI-5 and ASI-L-VA) were administered several days apart in counterbalanced order by different interviewers. Sample B (n=50) was similarly administered the standard ASI-5 twice. RESULTS: For Sample A, the internal consistency (coefficient alphas) of 11 of 19 summary scores derived from the ASI-5 were good, 4 fair, and 4 unacceptable. The results for the ASI-L-VA summary scores indicated that eight were good, six fair, and five unacceptable. The correlations between ASI problem areas were generally low for both versions (supporting the independence of the ASI areas), and none of the t-tests comparing corresponding correlations between the ASI-5 and ASI-L-VA approached statistical significance. The Sample A intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) results evaluating agreement of the summary scores derived from the ASI-5 at one timepoint and those derived from ASI-L-VA at another point (i.e., concurrent validity) revealed at least fair agreement in all but one instance. Additionally, a comparison of the ICC results for Samples A and B (i.e., ASI-L-VA/ASI-5 versus ASI-5/ASI-5, respectively) revealed that in 13 of 26 cases the ICCs were at the same level of agreement. When level of agreement was discordant, in nine cases the ICCs comparing the ASI-5 and ASI-L-VA exhibited greater agreement and in four cases the ICCs comparing two ASI-5 administrations exhibited greater agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The ASI-L-VA, a reduced item set from the ASI-5, yielded similar information on problem severity as the standard ASI-5.

Predicting DSM-IV dependence diagnoses from Addiction Severity Index composite scores.

This study, using data from the Drug Evaluation Network System and a study conducted through the Center for Studies on Addiction of the University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, sought to determine the potential of the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to serve as a screening instrument for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) substance dependence. A significant positive correlation was found between ASI composite scores (CSs) and DSM-IV diagnoses of dependence in both the alcohol (r > .7) and drug (r > .5) domains (p < .01). Receiver operating characteristic analyses were run to predict DSM-IV alcohol and drug dependence diagnoses from the respective ASI CSs. Results showed good to strong prediction; ASI CSs identified dependent clients with approximately 85% sensitivity and 80% specificity. We recommend strategies for using ASI CSs as a diagnostic screening instrument in both research and treatment delivery environments.

Treatment outcomes: first time versus treatment-experienced clients.

A sample of treatment seeking clients was assessed at intake and 6, 12, 24 and 30 months later. Treatment-naive and treatment-experienced clients were compared in terms of baseline characteristics, 6-month outcomes, and predictors of these outcomes. Long-term outcomes of clients achieving an initially successful outcome were compared for the two groups. Results revealed significant short-term improvement for both groups, although treatment-experienced clients reported more serious drug use. The most consistent significant predictors of substance use outcomes were baseline severity of substance use and self-help participation. Outcome predictors unique to each group were also identified. Long-term outcomes for clients with an initial successful outcome tended to be better for treatment-experienced than treatment-naive clients. Both groups tended to have poorer outcomes as the follow-up duration increased. The results suggest that common and unique predictors of outcomes be considered in treating these two groups of clients. Additionally, treatment-naive clients may be at increased risk for poor outcomes even when initial success is achieved.

The role of family history in addiction severity and treatment response.

This study examined the relationship between familial history of substance use and addiction severity and treatment outcomes of opiate-dependent patients. The sample was comprised of 281 methadone maintenance patients at a VA or community-based clinic. Using the family history section of the Renard Diagnostic Interview, three familial risk groups were identified based on patients' self-report of their relatives' substance use. The three groups considered both the number and type (e.g., first vs. second degree) of biological relatives with a substance use problem. These three risk groups included: (1) high risk (HR, n = 111), (2) medium risk (MR, n = 80), and (3) low risk (LR, n = 90). HR patients reported a history of more severe asocial behavior at baseline and they reported more medical problems and a greater degree of concurrent alcohol use both prior to and after 6 months of treatment compared to LR patients. In addition, the HR group reported more family/social problems at baseline compared to the MR and LR group and both HR and MR patients reported more psychological problems than LR patients after 6 months of treatment. However, when accounting for baseline differences, the regression analyses demonstrated that familial risk was not predictive of drug treatment outcomes after 6 months of methadone maintenance treatment.

Comparison of embedded and isolated administrations of the California Psychological Inventory's Socialization subscale.

Alternate administration methods were tested for the Socialization (So) subscale of the California Psychological Inventory (CPI; H. G. Gough, 1994; H. G. Gough & P. Bradley, 1996) in 437 young adult men. One method administered the 46 CPI-So items in isolation from the CPI, whereas the 2nd method administered the 46 items embedded in the CPI. External validity measures of antisociality were also administered over the 2 sessions. Isolated administration produced somewhat higher internal consistency and significantly better concurrent validity and demonstrated construct validity as a measure of antisociality. Additional factor analytic studies of the CPI-So and CPI revealed that the 2 CPI-So versions had different factorial structures and that the embedded CPI-So subscale did not retain factorial integrity or an appreciable amount of reliable and uniquely interpretable variance.