Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test – ASSIST V3.0
A screening questionnaire designed to detect psychoactive substance use and related risks in primary care and clinical settings.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test – ASSIST V3.0 was developed by World Health Organization (WHO) ASSIST Working Group (2002). It is designed to measure Substance use and risk level. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 71 items organized into 11 factors/subscales: Tobacco, Alcohol, Cannabis, Cocaine, Amphetamines, Inhalants, Sedatives, Hallucinogens, Opioids, Other, Injection.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Tobacco | 1,11,21,31,41,51,61 | 7 |
| Alcohol | 2,12,22,32,42,52,62 | 7 |
| Cannabis | 3,13,23,33,43,53,63 | 7 |
| Cocaine | 4,14,24,34,44,54,64 | 7 |
| Amphetamines | 5,15,25,35,45,55,65 | 7 |
| Inhalants | 6,16,26,36,46,56,66 | 7 |
| Sedatives | 7,17,27,37,47,57,67 | 7 |
| Hallucinogens | 8,18,28,38,48,58,68 | 7 |
| Opioids | 9,19,29,39,49,59,69 | 7 |
| Other | 10,20,30,40,50,60,70 | 7 |
| Injection | 71 | 1 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: never = Never / No, once_twice = Once or twice, monthly = Monthly, weekly = Weekly, daily = Daily or almost daily, yes_past_3m = Yes, in the past 3 months, yes_not_past_3m = Yes, but not in the past 3 months.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 47. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low risk (all substances except alcohol): 0 – 3
- Moderate risk (all substances except alcohol): 4 – 26
- High risk (all substances except alcohol): 27 – 39
- Low risk (Alcohol): 0 – 10
- Moderate risk (Alcohol): 11 – 26
- High risk (Alcohol): 27 – 47
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency (alpha > 0.80 for most subscales).
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.