In this Issue...
The SASSI-3, mentioned in our previous newsletters, will be released in July. We are so pleased with it that we are introducing you to it in a special way with this expanded issue of News & Reports. It is not a new approach or a drastic departure from previous SASSI versions but a result of steady, ongoing research and feedback from counselors in the field. The SASSI-3 represents an important step in the evolution of the adult SASSI in increased accuracy, flexibility, and quality documentation.
In this special edition of the newsletter, you will learn how and why SASSI-3 was developed, how easy it is to adapt to the SASSI-3, and see samples from the new User's Guide. We have included the Table of Contents page, a description of the new SYM scale, the new SASSI-3 profile, and a sample profile and interpretation from the User's Guide.
The implementation of SASSI-3 was an enormous undertaking. It first began with meetings of the research team as we reviewed Linda's analyses of data provided by SASSI users such as yourself. We were excited to find that we could increase the accuracy from about 88% to 93%. But that was just the start of our journey to SASSI-3. Being researchers we had to scrutinize the findings over and over again, and we continued to find new ways to improve the instrument. The new scale and new decision rules in SASSI-3 necessitated modification of the profile sheet. We decided to do everything possible to make it clear, convenient, and easy to use. The final product, which is reproduced in this newsletter, is the 97th version we considered - maybe we are a trifle fussy.
We also decided that we wanted to upgrade our documentation and our training program. We are very proud to be able to provide you with a User's Guide that meets the needs that you have expressed for a user-friendly presentation of clinical and research information. We worked hard to revamp all our training materials, and we hope this will provide support to the SASSI trainers who do a wonderful job in helping people learn how to apply the SASSI in a broad range of clinical settings. Our computer department has worked diligently to upgrade all of the computer products, and the SASSI-3 will now be available in a Windows version.
Through all of the major tasks and mundane details, we have endeavored to contain costs in order to maintain our low prices while providing a quality product. This task would not have been possible without a very special staff making a sustained effort to go beyond their ongoing responsibilities to develop the SASSI-3 during the past year. The wonderful teamwork of our researchers, clinicians, customer services staff, training department and other specialists was essential.
We all want to work in a setting where we feel that what we do is worthwhile and where we can respect and enjoy our coworkers. I am very fortunate to have a very special group of talented and dedicated individuals, and I am grateful to them for all they do and have done. All of us, perhaps especially Frank, Mindy, Wayne, Linda, Marlene, myself, and our editor, Jim Roberts, wish that you would see the SASSI-3 as our gift to those of you who make the real difference in the lives of the individuals you work with and hope it will be a key support in what you do.
The research department at The SASSI Institute monitors the accuracy of the SASSI on an ongoing basis. It is our mission to provide you with as accurate an instrument as possible. Work on the SASSI-3 was undertaken to develop a version that is more accurate than SASSI-2; and, indeed, we were able to reduce the error rate by about half. We are pleased that the SASSI-3 has an overall accuracy rate of approximately 93%.
The SASSI-3 includes a new scale called Symptoms (SYM).
As many of you know, there were some items on the true/false side of the SASSI-2 that were not scored. We initially included them as research items to see if they could be used to increase the accuracy of the SASSI and provide additional clinical information. We found that most of them did increase the accuracy, and they are therefore included as scored items in the SASSI-3. These new true/false items deal directly with substance misuse and appear to address the extent to which the client has been part of a family or social system that has a strong involvement in substance misuse. Because they are face valid items, we decided to group them with the other true/false items that directly address substance misuse and thereby create a new scale - SYM. We did this to try to keep the structure of the SASSI-3 scales as clear as possible and to leave the overall scale structure of the instrument unchanged, thereby allowing continued utilization of the accumulated clinical information on the SASSI scales. This newsletter contains the description of the SYM scale that is included in the SASSI-3 User's Guide.
We put a great deal of effort into revising the profile sheet to make it easy and convenient to use. A copy is included in this newsletter along with a brief instructional sheet. You will see that the SASSI-3 decision rules are presented exclusively in terms of the clients' actual "raw" scale scores rather than T scores. The SASSI-2 and Adolescent SASSI decision rules use T scores. We made the change in the SASSI-3 to make the profile sheet easier to use. Also please note that in using the new profile sheet, we recommend that you go through the entire decision rule check list. As before, only one decision rule has to be true for a person to be test positive on the SASSI but by reviewing each decision rule, you will gain a greater understanding of your clients' SASSI-3 profiles.
There are two additional changes that I would like to highlight. Some SASSI users expressed discomfort with the content of two items - "I believe everything is turning out the way the Bible said it would" and "Pornography and obscenity have become serious problems and must be curbed." We were able to remove those items without sacrificing the accuracy of the instrument.
The other change deals with the timeline of the face valid items. As most of you know, the standard instructions for administering the SASSI-2 is to ask clients to respond to the face valid items on the basis of their lifetime experiences. This can provide important information that may be missed if a person reports only recent usage. However, in some contexts it is important to single out specific windows of time. Therefore, we designed the SASSI-3 to allow you a choice regarding instructing the client to respond on the basis of lifetime experiences, the past six months, the six months since some event such as leaving treatment, or the six months prior to some event such as an arrest [or incarceration]. We hope this flexibility will enhance the utility of the instrument as you work with people in a variety of settings.
We are pleased to present you with the SASSI-3. As always, we want to hear from you and will continue to work to make the SASSI as accurate and useful as possible.
Contents
Chapter 1 OverviewThe Need for the SASSI 2 The Usefulness of the SASSI 2 The Accuracy of the SASSI 2 The Structure of the SASSI 3 Creation of the SASSI 4 Fine-tuning of the SASSI 4 Continuing Development 5 Ongoing Support 5 Misuse of the SASSI 6
Chapter 2 Presenting the SASSI to Clients 7
Chapter 3 Objective Scoring 11
Chapter 4 Interpreting Profiles 25
Chapter 5 The SASSI Subscales 29
Overview 29 How the subscale items were selected 30 Summary of the subscales 31 FVA & FVOD Face Valid Alcohol & Face Valid Other Drugs 32 SYM Symptoms of Substance Misuse 33 OAT Obvious Attributes 34 SAT Subtle Attributes 35 DEF & SAM Defensiveness & Supplemental Addiction Measure 36 FAM Family vs. Controls 38 COR Correctional 39 RAP Random Answering Pattern 40Chapter 6 Adult Example Profiles 41
Amy A. acknowledges she drinks excessively and suffers consequences. 42 Bob B. has a high SAT score, suggesting lack of insight. 44 Cecil C. appears to be very defensive about substance abuse. 46 Dean D. may be depressed and affected by addictions. 48 Eve E. scores high only on the face-valid measures. 50 Fred F. is at risk of ongoing legal problems, as well as addictions. 52 Gigi G. has a profile that raises doubts. 54 Heather H. illustrates problems with possible random responding. 56 Ivan I. is flagged for evaluation for possible subs. abuse disorder. 58
Appendix A Substance Abuse vs. Dependence 61
Appendix B Sample Assessment Report 63
Index 66
Sample Questionnaires
SASSI-3 Profile Interpretation
On FVA and SYM, Amy acknowledges extensive use of alcohol and many negative consequences. Examining her answers to specific items on these scales may help you counsel Amy, perhaps suggesting good starting points for a more detailed alcohol and drug history.
On SYM Amy acknowledges serious substance misuse and being part of an environment affected by addictions. Her high OAT suggests that she may be open to seeing similarities between herself and other substance dependent people. But her high SAT suggests that she may be unable to see the full implications of her current problematic usage.
Amy's low DEF suggests that she may be experiencing shame, hopelessness, or other symptoms of depression.
Given Amy's high level of alcohol usage and her low DEF, you should consider a more comprehensive evaluation to determine her degree of safety and whether she can maintain sobriety and function well enough to benefit from a treatment program. She may need supervised detoxification or other intensive intervention.
You may find Amy ready to acknowledge that she drinks too much and that she has serious problems. She may see herself as having a number of personal limitations, particularly those associated with substance abusers such as impatience, low frustration tolerance, resentment, and grandiosity. But Amy may see these traits as unchangeable. Amy may need your help to acknowledge her pain and to recognize that there are alternatives to her current lifestyle. She may need help to see that there is hope for recovery.
SASSI Profile
FAQ's about SASSI-3
The following are questions we have been receiving from SASSI users regarding SASSI-3. If you have questions that are not addressed here, please feel free to call us at 1-800-726-0526.
What is the difference between SASSI-2 and SASSI-3?
In addition to the SASSI-3 questionnaire, the SASSI-3 scoring key, and redesigned profile, are there any other new products?
Will there be a new manual for SASSI-3?
Will there be a price increase for the SASSI-3?
What will I do with my unused SASSI-2 questionnaires?
What about the computer version?