Measuring Outcomes of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Cocaine Use among College Students: A Preliminary Test of the Shortened Inventory of Problems—Alcohol and Drugs (SIP-AD)

Abstract

College provides a context for experimentation with alcohol and drugs, the consequences of which range from mild to severe. One purpose of this study involved testing the usefulness of the Shortened Inventory of Problems—Alcohol and Drugs (SIP-AD) to assess negative consequences associated with substance use. A random sample of students (n = 421) was drawn from a medium-sized, public university. Subjects reported patterns of use for alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine over both the last 30 days and the past year. Reliability and factor analyses illustrated the internal consistency and validity of the SIP-AD. Multiple linear regression was also used to show how demographic characteristics and substance use behaviors can predict problems associated with using alcohol and/or drugs.

The interacting effect of depressive symptoms, gender, and distress tolerance on substance use problems among residential treatment-seeking substance users

“…Indeed, 13.7% of African American males and 5.5% of African American females meet criteria for past year substance abuse or dependence. Importantly, among substance users in both community (Gillespie et al, 2007; Hagman et al, 2009) and clinical (Alterman et al, 2009; Bender et al, 2007) settings, heavy use of substances is associated with increased substance use problems (SUP), defined hereafter as negative physical (e.g., poor eating habits, declining physical health), psychological (e.g., mood changes, feelings of guilt), and social (e.g., damaged relationships and social life) consequences of substance use (Blanchard et al, 2003; Gillespie et al, 2007; Newcomb and Locke, 2005; Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2004). Substance use problems are a particular concern among African American substance users receiving treatment, who also evidence high rates of comorbid psychopathology (Chen et al, 2011).…”

Substance Use Patterns and Consequences Among Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals

“…As previously mentioned, this scale was divided into factor-based subscales on the basis of the analysis by Gillespie et al (2007). However, the reliability coefficient for the 15-item scale was .97 in this LGB sample.…”

“…However, Blanchard et al (2003) advised, "only total SIP-AD scores should be used for clinical or research purposes, because the subscales were not validated as distinct constructs" (p. 331). A more recent study (i.e., Gillespie, Holt, & Blackwell, 2007) analyzed the factor structure of the SIP-AD; three subscales of the SIP-AD that Gillespie et al identified in their study are used in the current research report.…”

Measurement Invariance of the Short Inventory of Problems-Revised across African-American and Non-Latino White Substance Users

“…Multiple psychometric studies describe consistent reliability estimates for the SIP across various clinical and non-treatment seeking samples including primary care patients, veterans, college students, persons with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders, problem drinkers, and men who have sex with men (Allensworth-Davies, Cheng, Smith, Samet, & Saiz, 2012; Alterman, Cacciola, Ivey, Habing, & Lynch, 2009; Bender et al, 2007; Hagman et al, 2009; Feinn, Tennen, & Kranzler, 2003; Gillespie, Holt, & Blackwell, 2007). However, these same studies report equivocal construct validity findings.…”