Estructura factorial del test ASSIST: aplicación del análisis factorial exploratorio y confirmatorio

Abstract

The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is used as a screening tool for detecting drug consumers people who need a short intervention. This test's use could be suitable at primary care facilities. The test was translated into Spanish by the team that developed its English original version, but it lacks of the necessary validity assessment studies.

Objectives

The aim of this study is to estimate the reliability of the test as well as to assess its latent structure, as a way to provide validity evidence for the proposed score interpretations.

Method

The sample is composed of 1176 people using cocaine who completed the online-version of the test. All the participants were volunteers and response the test for their own use. Reliability was estimated by Cronbach's a©lpha procedure. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was applied to analyze the factorial structure of ASSIST.

Results

The scale has shown a high reliability and an adequate goodness of fit to a unidimensional structure, providing so validity evidences for using the sum of the items for the proposed score interpretations.

Conclusions

Results supports use of this test for this sample, in terms of reliability and factor structure. However, further studies are required to provide evidence of validity based on relationships with other variables, to determine its usefulness as a screening tool.