Validation the Significant Other Checklist: Measuring the problems experienced by family members of drug users

Aim: the aim of this study was to validate the Significant Other Checklist in family members of drug abusers.
Research design was descriptive. Participants were 397 of families who were referred to addiction clinics in Semnan province. They were recruited by random sampling.
Reliability range were for frequency dimension .57 (health) until .81 (financial), and in severity dimension .53 (emotional/social) until .81(involvement with legal and other government agencies). Validity evidences showed that in family performance with and no financial aids received, and family performance with and no problem in legal organization were different in subscales of the instrument, significantly. The Subscales scores of financial, emotional/ social, relationship with the subscales scores of financial, emotional expression and relations of marriage performance questionnaire were associated. Physical abuse subscale scores was associated with aggression scale, significantly. Different patterns of frequency and severity of problems were experienced as a result of the significant other. The most common problem the significant other (parents / spouse) in frequency dimension in subscales of lifestyle, communication and social / emotional, and in the severity in the social / emotional observed.
The significant other checklist is a valid and reliable instrument to diagnose frequency and severity of family problems of abusers and in some subscales sensitive to the effects of interventions