Correlates of addiction-related problems in Kuwait: a cross-cultural view.

The promise of adopting a valid and reliable tool for diagnosing addiction-related problems is offered by the Addiction Severity Index (ASI). Socially determined admissions and poor treatment facilities may have biased the representativeness of our sample, though methodological difficulties were minimal. The ASI was used to evaluate 120 hospitalized addicts in Kuwait's only addiction unit, categorized according to their primary drug of abuse: 61% were alcoholics and 39% drug addicts. Examination of ASI composite scores showed no difference between the two patient groups except in their corresponding problem area of substance abuse. ASI composite scores were similar to the interviewer's severity ratings. Intercorrelations between scores for different problem areas were low. The validity of ASI in diagnosing these problems was unquestionable, but the cross-cultural significance of some problem areas is doubtful.