The factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT).
OBJECTIVE
Past research assessing the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) with various exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques has identified one-, two-, and three-factor solutions. Because different factor analytic procedures may result in dissimilar findings, we examined the factor structure of the AUDIT using the same factor analytic technique on two new large clinical samples and on archival data from six samples studied in previous reports.


METHODS
Responses to the AUDIT were obtained from participants who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), criteria for alcohol dependence in two large randomized clinical trials: the COMBINE (Combining Medications and Behavioral Interventions) Study (N = 1,337; 69% men) and Project MATCH (Matching Alcoholism Treatments to Client Heterogeneity; N = 1,711; 76% men). Supplementary analyses involved six correlation matrices of AUDIT data obtained from five previously published articles. Confirmatory factor analyses based on one-, two-, and three-factor models were conducted on the eight correlation matrices to assess the factor structure of the AUDIT.


RESULTS
Across samples, analyses supported a correlated, two-factor solution representing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. The three-factor solution fit the data equally well, but two factors (alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use) were highly correlated. The one-factor solution did not provide a good fit to the data.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support a two-factor solution for the AUDIT (alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences). The results contradict the original three-factor design of the AUDIT and the prevalent use of the AUDIT as a one-factor screening instrument with a single cutoff score.
Doyle
Suzanne R
SR
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA. srdoyle@u.washington.edu
Donovan
Dennis M
DM
Kivlahan
Daniel R
DR
D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results