Validation of the alcohol, smoking and substance involvement screening test (ASSIST)

Abstract

The findings demonstrated that the ASSIST is a valid screening test for identifying psychoactive substance use in individuals who use a number of substances and have varying degrees of substance use.

Illicit substance use among university students from seven European countries: A comparison of personal and perceived peer use and attitudes towards illicit substance use

“…In our study we also examined the use of cannabis but did not include cannabis in these analyses as the prevalence is considerably higher than that of other illicit substances (EMCDDA 2013). The choice of illicit substances was based on the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST), developed by the World Health Organization (Humeniuk et al 2010). Response options ranged from 'Never in my life', 'Have used but not in the last two months' to 'Every day or nearly every day'.…”

Risks related to drug use among male construction workers

“…(22) In this sense, an instrument such as the AS-SIST-WHO, which allows for screening the risk related to drug use, easy to apply and interpret, and that allows for brief interventions and result feedback, is an important option for the prevention and early detection of drug use among construction workers. (23) In light of the results of the present study, we observe the importance of this type of screening with standardized instruments by healthcare, nursing, worker's health and primary care teams. This technology can be very useful in the detection, early intervention and, consequently, prevention of this type of drug use among workers, for one of the greatest difficulties found by health professionals regarding drug use in the community consists in determining the limits which define drug abuse.…”

“…Each answer corresponds to a score ranging from zero to 8, and the total sum can vary from zero to 39. (11,12) In terms of defining the risk related to alcohol use, a score from zero to 10 on the test is considered lower risk; from 11 to 26 moderate risk; and when higher than 27 points, it represents high risk up to the progression of dependence. For the other abuse drugs, the scores required for each category are: 0-3 points; 4-26 points and higher than 27 points, respectively.…”

“…Scores falling within the intermediate range of the ASSIST indicate the use of hazardous or harmful substances (moderate risk) and the highest scores indicate substance dependence (high risk). (11,12) The data collected were compiled using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS®) software, and the independent variables were dichotomized so that a descriptive statistical analysis and multinominal logistic regression could then be conducted. The objective of this method was to investigate the variables associated to the results (dependent variable: level of risk provided by the ASSIST score, classified as lower, moderate and high, for tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs).…”

Recreational Drug Use Among Primary Care Patients: Implications of a Positive Self-Report

“…Data collected at baseline and 6 months included a global ASSIST (Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test) score 5 as a measure of severity and the self-reported number of days of use of the drug of most concern, using the Timeline Followback method. 6 Standardized clinical instruments (Table 1) were used to assess health status, unhealthy alcohol use, drug use consequences, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.…”