title: Mapping the continuum of alcohol problems in college students: a Rasch model analysis.
abstract: The authors conducted Rasch model (G. Rasch, 1960) analyses of items from the Young Adult Alcohol Problems Screening Test (YAAPST; S. C. Hurlbut & K. J. Sher, 1992) to examine the relative severity and ordering of alcohol problems in 806 college students. Items appeared to measure a single dimension of alcohol problem severity, covering a broad range of the latent continuum. Items fit the Rasch model well, with less severe symptoms reliably preceding more severe symptoms in a potential progression toward increasing levels of problem severity. However, certain items did not index problem severity consistently across demographic subgroups. A shortened, alternative version of the YAAPST is proposed, and a norm table is provided that allows for a linking of total YAAPST scores to expected symptom expression.
authors.affiliation: Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA. christopher_kahler@brown.edu
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kahler
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Strong
authors.forename: Jennifer P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Read
authors.forename: Tibor P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Palfai
authors.forename: Mark D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Wood
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities