Authors
30/09/2025
Psychological assessment in substance use disorders: psychometric properties and instrument validity
abstract
The aim of this study is to determine whether the assessment instruments used in the field of substance dependence are reliable and valid. To this end, a literature review was conducted following the guidelines of the latest version of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020). The following databases were consulted: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, EMBASE, and PsycINFO, with no restrictions on publication date. The search equation combined keywords and MeSH terms related to (“psychological assessment” [OR] “assessment instruments” [OR] “outcome assessment” [OR] “outcome measurement” [OR] “psychometric”) [AND] (“substance-related disorders” [OR] “substance use disorder” [OR] “drug addiction” [OR] “drug dependence” [OR] “drug abuse” [OR] “substance abuse”). Of the 47 studies analyzed, 44 demonstrated good methodological quality and scientific rigor, while three exhibited poor methodology and insufficient rigor. In some cases, statistical biases were identified, such as lack of specification of the quantitative variables used in the analyses or insufficient detail regarding the statistical procedures employed for sample size calculation. Overall, the instruments showed strong reliability and validity scores, although a potential publication bias cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, several instruments—such as the MMPI, NEO-PI, BDI-II, and STAI— have historically demonstrated robust psychometric properties. However, in certain cases (e.g., depression), it has been suggested that cutoff scores may need to be adjusted for populations with substance use disorders.
Keywords:
Psychological assessment, psychometric propierties, reliability, validity, drug addiction, measurement tools.
Received date
04/02/2025
Accepted date
18/07/2025