Identifying potential drinking-driving recidivists: Do non-obvious indicators help?

This study addressed two related questions concerning screening processes for convicted drinking-drivers: first, do these individuals falsify information to avoid detection; and second, do non-obvious indicators improve the ability to detect potential recidivists? Two samples of New York State Drinking Driver Program (DDP) participants were used. The first consisted of 1,592 first-time drinking-driving offenders who completed the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and RIA Self Inventory (RIASI) screening instruments under confidential conditions. The second sample of 513 first- time offenders completed these instruments under normal screening conditions. The MAST contains 25 items that are directly associated with alcohol-related problems. In contrast, the RIASI contains 15 alcohol-related items associated with alcohol beliefs, family history for alcohol problems, and drinking practices, and 31 non-obvious or more distal items that reflect areas associated with alcohol or drug problems. Relative to the sample that completed the screening instruments under conditions of guaranteed confidentiality, the sample that completed the screening instruments under normal screening conditions showed reduced referral rates, lower scores on the MAST, and lower scores on the RIASI. In addition, the RIASI proved to be more effective at identifying potential recidivists than the MAST across both samples. The utility of including non-obvious indicators in the screening process is discussed.