Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the factorial structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory 18 (BSI-18) and test its measurement invariance among different drug using populations. A total sample of 710 drug users was recruited using respondent-drive sampling (RDS) from three states: Ohio (n = 248), Arkansas (n = 237), and Kentucky (n = 225). The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) show: 1) the BSI-18 has a three-factor structure (somatization, depression, and anxiety) with an underlying second-order factor (global severity index of distress); and 2) its factorial structure and metric (factor loadings) are invariant across populations under study. However, the scalars (intercepts) of the BSI-18 items are not invariant, and the means of the latent factors also varied across populations. Our findings provide evidence of a valid factorial structure of the BSI-18 that can be readily applied to studying drug using populations.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 23-29 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Addictive Behaviors |
Volume | 35 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse grant numbers R01 DA15363 and R01 DA14340 . The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institute on Drug Abuse or any other governing agency.
Keywords
- BSI-18
- CFA model
- Drug users
- Measurement invariance
- Psychological distress
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Medicine (miscellaneous)
- Clinical Psychology
- Toxicology
- Psychiatry and Mental health