title: How Should Alcohol Problems Be Conceptualized? Causal Indicators Within the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index.
abstract: Alcohol-related problems have traditionally been conceptualized and measured by an effect indicator model. That is, it is generally assumed that observed indicators of alcohol problems are caused by a latent variable. However, there are reasons to think that this construct is more accurately conceptualized as including at least some causal indicators, in which observed indicators cause the latent variable. The present study examined the measurement model of a well-known alcohol consequences questionnaire, the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index. Participants were 703 students from a large public university in the Northeast mandated to an alcohol intervention. We conducted a zero tetrad test to examine a measurement model consisting solely of effect indicators and a model with both causal and effect indicators. Overall, the results suggested the hybrid model fit the data better than a model with only effect indicators. These findings have implications regarding the theoretical underpinnings of alcohol-related consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA bjaww8@mail.missouri.edu.
authors.forename: Brooke J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Arterberry
authors.affiliation: Département de mathématiques et de statistique, Faculté des sciences et de génie, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Ting-Huei
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Escuela de Psicología, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Alvaro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vergés
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Bollen
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational, School, and Counseling Psychology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martens
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: alcohol-related consequences; causal indicators; zero tetrad test