Measuring adolescent drug abuse and psychosocial factors in four ethnic groups of drug-abusing boys

There is an absence of empirical work on the measurement of adolescent drug abuse among non-White ethnic youths. The field would benefit from psychometric ally sound measures for ethnic groups. The psychometric properties of a multi-scale assessment tool for adolescent drug abuse, the Personal Experience Inventory (PEI), have been examined largely in White samples. The current study reports reliability and validity data for the PEI across four samples of boys (White, African American, Native American, and Hispanic). The results provide general psychometric support for the non-White groups. The use and limitations of the PEI in different ethnic/racial groups are discussed.