title: Factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) for men and women in different age groups.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our main aim was to investigate the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a Finnish population sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  The AUDIT was completed by 3,125 men (mean age = 26.2 years) and 6,006 women (mean age = 26.1 years).
  
  
  RESULTS
  At a cutoff score of 8 or more, 49.8% of the men and 23.9% of the women would be identified as potentially engaged in excessive alcohol use. Exploratory factor analyses suggested a two-factor solution for both men and women. However, the factor structure was not invariant between men and women or in the different age groups among men.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is one of the largest known general population studies on alcohol use in recent years in Finland. The findings support a two-factor solution, and it is suggested that the AUDIT cutoff scores should be tailored according to age, gender, and drinking culture.
authors.affiliation: Center of Excellence in Behavior Genetics, Department of Psychology, Abo Akademi University, 20500 Turku, Finland. bpahlen@abo.fi
authors.forename: Bettina
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: von der Pahlen
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santtila
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Witting
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Varjonen
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jern
authors.forename: Ada
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Johansson
authors.forename: N Kenneth
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Sandnabba
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004200:Diseases in Twins / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D010555:Personality Inventory / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors