The effectiveness of the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale, the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, and the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory-2 in identifying alcohol abusers among DUI offenders.

Abstract

Many people arrested for driving under the influence (Dill) of alcohol are repeat offenders, only a few ofwhich have ever been the recipient ofany alcohol/other drug education. Over the years, three tests, the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC), the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST), and the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory -2 (SASSI-2) have been introduced to assist those doing alcohol/other drug evalutions with Dill offenders in identifying those who abuse alcohol. The purpose ofthis study was to determine whether these three tests can accurately identify those who abuse alcohol. The participants consisted of 101 men and women from several Kansas counties all of whom had been arrested for Dill and agreed to a Blood Alcohol Content (HAC) measure. Each had been court referred to a mental health center to complete a comprehensive Dill evaluation using the previously mentioned tests. Participants were divided into two groups according to their reported BAC levels and analyzed as a whole. Next, gender differences were analyzed in the same manner. Chi-square analysis ofthe data revealed that none ofthese tests was able, with any degree of significance, to categorize correctly those considered to be alcohol abusers. This was true as well for both male and female participants. The MAST appeared to be oversensitive, and categorized participants as alcohol abusers regardless oftheir BAC level while both the MAC and the SASSI-2 both categorized participants as non abusive regardless oftheir BAC level. These findings suggest that those using these tests should only do so with caution, and to back any interpretation up with sufficient supportive information.