Abstract:
The aim of this study was to examine the validity of the WHO Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) in Pacific People in New Zealand (NZ). Face validity was initially examined via focus groups. Feedback was largely positive with suggestions for modifications (simplifying questions, incorporating local slang), adopted and incorporated. The concurrent, construct and discriminative validity of the modified ASSIST was then examined in 150 Pacific people (100 from primary care, 50 from addiction treatment). Participants were administered the modified ASSIST and a battery of standardised tests that offered alternative measures of the phenomena of interest. Results demonstrated that the ASSIST had satisfactory concurrent and construct validity. Results for discriminative validity were limited, in that participant numbers in drug categories, other than alcohol, were too small to permit analyses. The modified ASSIST could be used as a culturally acceptable screening tool for problematic substance use in Pacific people in NZ, but further research is required to fully examine its discriminative validity
