Construction of Outcome Scales Measuring Addicts’ Community Functioning

Abstract

The current status of research in chemical abuse has depended heavily on unreliable cure rate as a criterion measure. This study was designed to construct reliable and valid quantitative outcome scales. One hundred and eighteen true-false items, all indicating changeable criterion behaviors, were written and administered to 154 hospitalized chemical abusers and 93 staff members. Clinical and factorial manipulation were employed to delete unwanted items. Tentatively, three scales of 41 items were derived, namely, Personal/Economic Independence, Chemical Use, and Job Satisfaction.