Measurement Invariance of the Short Inventory of Problems-Revised across African-American and Non-Latino White Substance Users

This study investigated measurement invariance properties of the Short Inventory of Problems- Revised (SIP-R) across racial groups. The sample included 195 African-American and 194 non-Latino White adult participants in a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of motivational enhancement therapy in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network. The SIP-R demonstrated configural invariance and weak metric invariance, suggesting conceptualizations of adverse consequences of substance use are equivalent across racial groups. The SIP-R also indicated partial strong/scalar and strict metric invariance, suggesting a need for continued research of SIP-R items to ensure valid measurement and outcomes across racial groups.