| Abstract: | This study examined the convergent and discriminant validity of the Alcohol Problems (ALC) and Drug Problems (DRG) scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991). Participants were 103 male veterans (mean age?=?41.7 years) in a Veterans Affairs residential treatment for chemical dependence. The PAI was compared to the Addiction Severity Index (ASI; McLellan et al., 1992), a semistructured interview. The sampling strategy that was used resulted in a diverse sample (66% African American, 33% Caucasian; 59% with primary alcohol diagnosis, 38% with primary drug diagnosis, 56% with comorbid alcohol and drug diagnoses) and adequately variable ALC and DRG scores. Results supported the convergent validity of both the ALC and DRG scales in relation to both the ASI and substance-use diagnosis. The ALC scale also demonstrated excellent discriminant validity, whereas the discriminant validity of the DRG scale was less impressive. Despite this, the DRG scale performed better in the current diverse sample than observed in an earlier study (Alterman et al., 1995). Recommendations for the use of the PAI in chemical dependence treatment settings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
