Substance Abuse - Assessment Tools

For Ontario Addiction Agencies

Drug History Questionnaire (DHQ):

The DHQ assesses 14 different drug categories in terms of frequency of use and amount consumed at each drug-taking situation. Individuals can indicate "no" (has not taken the drug in the past year) or "yes" for each of the 14 drug categories in terms of frequency of use and amount consumed at each drug-taking situation. The pattern of use (volume) is tracked through the number of days the drug was used in the past 90 days. The amount typically consumed on each day is also noted. Standard equivalencies are used for both alcohol and drug use patterns.

Adverse Consequences of Drug Use:

This eight-item instrument provides a checklist of consequences (e.g., emotional, physical, financial) that can be used to assess the adverse impact that substance use (i.e., alcohol and other drugs combined) is having on a client. This instrument was developed by ARF (Addiction Research Foundation) and has been used for other outcome studies. CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) continues to assess its reliability and validity.

The Drug Taking Confidence Questionnaire (DTCQ) - 8:

The DTCQ can be used to assess clients' level of coping and self-efficacy in certain alcohol/drug-related situations. This tool has been shortened to 8 items from the longer version.

Socrates:

The Socrates is a tool designed to assess general readiness for change in people who abuse alcohol and drugs. It yields three scale scores: Recognition, Ambivalence, and Taking Steps. Socrates consists of two 19 item tools, one about drinking and the other about using drugs.

Treatment Entry Questionnaire (TEQ):

The TEQ was developed by Addiction Research Foundation (now the .. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health) to assess the extent to which treatment motivation reflects a client's personal choices and values, guilt, interpersonal conflict and coercive forces pressuring the client into treatment. The scale measures three types of motivation called internal positive, internal negative and external coercion.

Behaviour and Symptom Identification Scale (BASIS-32):

BASIS-32 is a client self-reporting tool designed to help assess clients' symptoms, concerns and problems. The 32-item questionnaire is divided into five major areas of difficulty: relation to self/others, daily living/role functioning skills, depression/anxiety, impulsive/addictive behaviour and psychosis. This is a screening tool to determine the need for further psychiatric assessment. The Basis-32 does not provide a diagnosis. The tool measures functioning in various life areas for the previous seven days.

Perceived Social Support (PSS):

This standardized instrument was shorted from 40 to 14 items. Consistent with recommendations in published research, this tool was chosen because of its ability to assess the subjective quality of relationships with friends and family rather than objective indicators such as marital or employment status. The instrument asks for the client's perceptions about the level of social support from family and friends.