Test-retest reliability of the lifetime items on the addiction severity index

Longer interval (M = 50.6, SD = 13.1 days) test-retest reliability of the lifetime items on the Addiction Severity Index (ASI), a semistructured interview, was evaluated in 108 alcohol and/or cocaine dependent patients. They were administered the ASI at admission to an intensive outpatient rehabilitation treatment program and again after completion of this intervention and randomization into an aftercare study. Results demonstrated good to excellent reliability for participants' reports for most lifetime items in the medical, employment, drug, alcohol, and legal problem areas. Two of the ASI areas, family/social and psychiatric, had numerous items that did not achieve acceptable levels of reliability. Within these two problem areas, the more subjective and less operationally defined constructs had the poorest reliability. This study, in general, supports the longer interval test-retest reliability of the ASI lifetime items as well as the notion that alcohol and cocaine dependent patients under certain conditions can and do reliably report personal information.