Effectiveness of screening instruments in detecting substance use disorders among prisoners

This study examined the effectiveness of several screening instruments in d etecting substance use disorders among prison inmates. A sample of 400 male inmates were administered eight different substance abuse screening instru ments and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-IV), Version 2 .0, Substance Abuse Disorders module. The latter was used as a diagnostic c riterion measure to determine the presence of substance use disorders. Base d on positive predictive value, sensitivity, and overall accuracy, the Texa s Christian University Drug Screen, the Simple Screening Instrument, and a combined instrument-Alcohol Dependence Scale/Addiction Severity Index-Drug Use section were found to be the most effective in identifying substance ab use and dependence disorders. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights res erved.