Abstract
Substance abuse is a serious mental health concern and reoffense risk factor for justice-involved youth. The Drug Abuse Screening Test for Adolescents (DAST-A) is used to assess drug abuse in different contexts, yet its psychometric properties have not yet been thoroughly explored in youth justice samples. We examined the measurement invariance and psychometrics of the DAST-A in a diverse sample of 741 justice-involved youth ( Nyoung men = 636). The tool showed strong reliability in the overall sample and subgroups (ω = .88–.94), and good convergent and concurrent validity. Logistic regression results indicated that, with each unit increase in DAST-A score, the odds of an substance use disorder (SUD) diagnosis increased by 23% (overall sample). The predictive validity findings were more robust for White youth than Black youth and as a result, a different cut-off score was explored for Black youth. The DAST-A demonstrated measurement invariance across gender and race. Practice implications are discussed.
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