A multivariate evaluation of the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test and the Drug Abuse Screening Test in a female offender population.

The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) are instruments designed to detect alcohol and drug abuse, respectively. Short versions (20 self-report items) of each instrument were administered to a sample of 615 women who were in jail or on probation. Principal-components analysis (PCA) was applied to the items of each instrument. Four factors similar to those found in previous research were identified, however the instruments were essentially found to be unidimensional. Subjecting pooled MAST and DAST items to PCA did not result in the identification of an underlying factor.