title: A study of the reliability and validity of the korean version of the penn alcohol craving scale for alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS) is a stronger predictor of subsequent drinking and relapse of alcohol dependence that can be administered more quickly and easily than other craving scales. The goal of this study was to develop the Korean version of the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale (PACS-K).
  
  
  METHODS
  To examine the psychometric properties of the PACS-K, responses were chosen from 80 patients admitted to a treatment facility for alcohol dependence.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PACS-K possesses good psychometric properties, as assessed by Cronbach's alpha estimates (Cronbach's alpha=0.91). The test-retest reliability of the PACS-K showed high correlation (p<0.01) when the retest interval was 1 day. When the validity of the PACS-K was investigated using correlation analysis with two other craving scales (the Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale (OCDS) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), high correlations were obtained between total PACS scores and total OCDS scores, and between total PACS scores and VAS scores (p<0.01, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The PACS-K is a reliable and valid measure of alcohol cravings, and it could be useful for predicting which individuals are at risk for subsequent relapse.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Min Jeong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung Gon
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyo Jeong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ho Chan
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Ji Heh
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kwang Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Duk Ki
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Won Tan
authors.initials: WT
authors.lastname: Byun
authors.forename: Cheol Min
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Kim