Validity and Reliability of the COJAC Screening Tool for Co-occurring Disorders

This study explored the reliability and validity of a nine-item screening tool (Co-Occurring Joint Action Council [COJAC] Screening Tool [CST]) for co-occurring disorders (COD). Using a convenience sample (n = 1,951), an online survey was conducted in multiple settings and included demographic questions, the CST, the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs-Short Screener (GAIN-SS), and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist-Civilian version. The CST substance abuse (SA) scale performed well with a Cronbach's alpha of .84 and a correlation of .71 with GAIN-SS SA (past year). The CST mental health and trauma items did not perform well as scales with Cronbach's alphas of .64 and .56, respectively. The CST-SA is a short, reliable, and valid measure of SA. Further study is needed to determine the best evaluation tool for the mental health portion of the COD screening instrument. (Am J Addict 2011;00:1-7).