Validation of the substance use risk profile scale (SURPS) and associated factors among adolescents in Chile

Personality traits are key predictors of adolescent substance use. This study aimed to culturally adapt and validate the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) among Chilean adolescents and examine its associations with substance use and related beliefs. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 1,358 students aged 10–14 years from 13 schools in Santiago, Chile. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses evaluated the internal structure of the SURPS, and internal consistency was assessed using ordinal alpha and McDonald’s omega. Multivariable linear and logistic regression models examined relations between the SURPS dimensions and substance-use-related variables. Regression inference used bias-reduced linearization cluster-robust covariance estimation (CR2), with schools as the clustering unit and coefficient-specific Satterthwaite degrees of freedom. The four-factor structure, Hopelessness, Anxiety Sensitivity, Impulsivity, and Sensation Seeking, was supported in an independent CFA following EFA-based refinement of the original item pool, resulting in a final 18-item solution. Internal consistency was satisfactory across the four subscales, with omega coefficients ranging from 0.718 to 0.940. Hopelessness and Sensation Seeking were associated with greater odds of lifetime tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use, whereas Impulsivity was associated with tobacco and alcohol use but not cannabis use. Anxiety Sensitivity was not associated with lifetime substance use. Relations with substance-related cognitions were heterogeneous: Hopelessness and Impulsivity were associated with selected positive-belief outcomes, no SURPS dimension was associated with negative-belief outcomes, and normative-belief associations were limited. Hopelessness and Impulsivity showed the most consistent associations with weaker refusal skills. The 18-item Chilean SURPS demonstrated satisfactory factorial validity, measurement invariance, and subscale internal consistency. Evidence based on relations with substance-use-related variables was differentiated across traits and outcomes and requires replication in independent samples.