Information is obtained about the severity and course of each disorder. The SAM also assesses the respondent's impairment and treatment seeking. Finally, because of the significant associations between disorder and demographic characteristics, the SAM elicits information about parental absence during childhood, marital status, parenthood, educational achievement, and employment, in addition to the general demographic items. Requirements for the computerized SAM are given on the price list below. Training Training usually requires 3 to 5 days.
Clinicians generally require less practice than do lay interviewers.
Each trainee needs a copy of the specifications and several hard copies of the interview for practice. Quality Control Assistants should be trained along with the interviewers so that they become fully familiar with the interview and instructions for administering it. The SAM is designed for respondents who are 15 years of age or older. It is written in language appropriate for persons with significantly different educational backgrounds and intelligence. It is simple enough that respondents with a 6th grade education can respond meaningfully to the questions, yet it does not patronize those with higher levels of education.