Background: Substance abuse is a critical problem in most countries, especially in developing ones. Early detection is the pre-requisite of early control, for which reliable and valid tools are required. In the present study, we aimed at measuring the psychometric properties of the 10-item Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) in Iranian individuals.
Methods: After translation and back-translation of the questionnaire, 244 adults were recruited from Tehran Megacity, Iran, and completed the questionnaires. Participants were recruited by a multistage randomized cluster sampling method. Reliability was determined by Cronbach's alpha. Also, construct validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
Findings: The internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the total score of the Persian version of DAST-10 was 0.93. EFA evoked only one factor for DAST-10. The CFA for 1-factor models for DAST-10 indicated an acceptable fit for the proposed models.
Conclusion: The results prove desirable reliability and validity of the Persian version of the DAST which can be utilized as a screening instrument for drug abuse among Iranian adults.
Keywords: Psychometrics; Substance abuse detection; Validation studies.
© 2020 Kerman University of Medical Sciences.