SARA

SARA Checklist of Information Sources

The SARA Checklist of Information Sources is a checklist designed to ensure that all possible information resources have been tapped.

SARA QuikScore^™ Form

The clinician-completed QuikScore^™ form is a self-scoring form designed to screen for risk factors of spousal or family-related assault.

Reliability and Validity

The structural reliability of the SARA was evaluated according to Classical Test Theory indexes, including corrected item-total correlations for individual items, and internal consistency and item homogeneity correlations for composite scores. Interrater data were based solely on an interview, a review of case-history information, and the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) results. Three separate studies were conducted to examine the criterion validity of SARA ratings. In the first study, using a known-groups strategy, SARA ratings of inmates with a known history of spousal assault were compared to those of inmates at the same institutions who had no known history of spousal assault. Results showed that there were statistically significant differences between inmates with and without a history of spousal assault on all 20 SARA items. In the second study, the concurrent validity of the SARA ratings was analyzed against rating/scores on the PCL:SV, the General Statistical Information on Recidivism Scale (GSIR), and the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide (VRAG). Results showed that the PCL:SV had moderate to high correlations with all SARA items. The GSIR and VRAG had a more complex pattern of results, but which support the convergent and discriminant validity of the SARA. The third study examined the ability of the SARA to discriminate between men who did or did not recidivate following referrals to a group treatment program for spousal assaulters. Results demonstrated that recidivistic and non-recidivistic spousal assaulters did not differ with respect to demographic characteristics or assault history.

Norms were established using two groups of adult male offenders (N = 2,309). The first group (probationers), comprised 1,671 men from three subsamples. The second group (inmates), comprised 638 men serving aggregate custodial sentences of 2 years or longer for various offenses, most often robbery. Further description of the normative sample is presented in the SARA User’s Manual.