Validation of the 30-day version of the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire for use in longitudinal studies.
OBJECTIVE
The Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ) was developed using item response modeling to provide a brief and readily interpretable measure of negative alcohol consequences over the past year among college students. The purpose of the present study was to extend evaluation of the B-YAACQ by examining its psychometric properties when administered to college students cited for a university alcohol violation using a past 30-day time frame of assessment.


METHODS
The B-YAACQ was administered at baseline and at a 6-week follow-up to 291 students cited for a university alcohol violation. Reliability and validity analyses, in addition to Rasch model analyses, were conducted using these data.


RESULTS
Results demonstrated that the B-YAACQ was internally consistent, showed strong unidimensionality and additive properties, displayed minimal item redundancy and minimal floor or ceiling effects, was reliable over a 6-week period, and was sensitive to change in drinking following an alcohol intervention. In addition, the relative severity of items was preserved over time and generally consistent with results from an earlier study.


CONCLUSIONS
The 30-day B-YAACQ seems valid for use with college students who have received an alcohol violation and for use in evaluating changes in alcohol consequences.
Kahler
Christopher W
CW
Brown University, Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Box G-S121, Providence, Rhode Island 02912, USA. Christopher_Kahler@brown.edu
Hustad
John
J
Barnett
Nancy P
NP
Strong
David R
DR
Borsari
Brian
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D003376:Counseling; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D009511:New England; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires