Development and initial validation of the Symptoms and Assets Screening Scale.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test a screening measure of mental health symptoms and well-being in college students, the Symptoms and Assets Screening Scale (SASS). PARTICIPANTS: Participants were 758 college students at 2 universities in the Northwest sampled between October 2009 and April 2011. METHODS: Participants completed the SASS, as well as measures of depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, substance problems, and eating problems in 1 session. A subset of participants (n = 259) completed the SASS 1 to 2 weeks later to allow an examination of test-retest stability. RESULTS: The SASS demonstrated good reliability and validity and appears to assess similar constructs as well-established measures in college students. Fifty-nine percent of the sample reported having problems with their thoughts, behaviors, or emotions, whereas only 9.7% reported currently receiving treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The SASS is a brief instrument that has the potential to effectively screen for the most prevalent mental health problems in college students.