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Validation and Performance of the Brief Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addiction (SSBA) Amongst University Students

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Abstract

The Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addictions (SSBA) was recently developed to measure addiction risk across a wide range of substances and behaviours in adult populations. University students are also a high-risk population for developing substance and behavioural additions. This study assessed the reliability, validity, and predictive utility of the SSBA in a sample of 656 university students. Participants completed the SSBA and external screening instruments for the target substances and behaviours. The SSBA demonstrated good-to-excellent convergent validity and internal consistency across all substance and behaviours. Selected cut-points also showed good sensitivity and specificity. Overall, the SSBA provides an accurate and reliable measure of addiction risk across a range substances and behaviours in university students. It may be an effective tool for identifying university students at-risk for developing addiction problems, and who would benefit from further clinical assessment. Implications and future directions of the SSBA are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada

    David C. Hodgins, Kaitlin E. Wilson & Magdalen G. Schluter

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  1. David C. Hodgins
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  2. Kaitlin E. Wilson
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  3. Magdalen G. Schluter
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Correspondence to David C. Hodgins.

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Hodgins, D.C., Wilson, K.E. & Schluter, M.G. Validation and Performance of the Brief Screener for Substance and Behavioural Addiction (SSBA) Amongst University Students. Int J Ment Health Addiction 21, 2718–2736 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-021-00748-z

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