Psychometric evaluation of the Amphetamine Cessation Symptom Assessment

• Main Authors: McGregor C., Srisurapanont M., Mitchell A., Longo M.C., Cahill S., White J.M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-42949127099&partnerID=40&md5=acea39a33e8c61269562ee41217db6bb; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/2415
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

Testing of a new scale, the Amphetamine Cessation Symptom Assessment (ACSA), in a sample of treatment-seeking amphetamine users (N = 133) showed satisfactory reliability, while factor analysis identified three components explaining 64.7% of the variance in scores. Scores were inversely related to subjective general well-being (r = -.33, p < .01) and directly related to the Beck Depression Inventory (r = .59, p < .01). There were positive relationships between the ACSA and measures of amphetamine dependence (r = .36, p < .01) and the intensity of recent amphetamine use (r = .24, p < .01). The ACSA discriminated between "low-dose" and "high-dose" users, indicating discriminant validity. In inpatients (n = 63), ACSA scores declined significantly over time, while higher scores in inpatient treatment dropouts indicated predictive validity. The ACSA showed satisfactory reliability and validity, with a three-factor solution providing the best fit to the data. The ACSA could play an important role in providing clinical outcome data, particularly in outcome evaluation of new treatment protocols. © 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.