title: The Mini Alcohol Craving Experience Questionnaire: Development and Clinical Application.
abstract: Standardized alcohol craving scales are rarely used outside of research environments despite recognized clinical utility. Scale length is a key barrier to more widespread application. A brief measure of alcohol craving is needed to improve research and treatment of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). Grounded in the Elaborated Intrusion Theory of Desire, the Alcohol Craving Experience (ACE) Questionnaire comprises two 11-item self-report scales that assess past-week frequency and maximum strength of alcohol craving. This study aimed to create a brief version of the ACE while maintaining psychometric integrity and clinical utility.
  
  
  
  Patients attending a university hospital alcohol and drug outpatient service for the treatment of AUD completed the ACE as part of a questionnaire battery. Three patient samples were utilized: 519 patients with pretreatment and outcome data, 228 patients with pretreatment data, and 66 patients who completed the ACE at treatment sessions 1 and 2.
  
  
  
  The Frequency scale of the ACE possessed greater clinical utility and predictive validity than the Strength scale. Revision of the Frequency measure produced a 5-item "Mini Alcohol Craving Experience" (MACE) Questionnaire. Satisfactory validity (construct, predictive, concurrent, convergent, and incremental) and reliability (internal and test-retest) were maintained. A 1 standard deviation increase in pretreatment MACE score was associated with a 54 percentage increase in the odds of patient lapse or dropout.
  
  
  
  The MACE provides a brief, theoretically, and psychometrically robust measure of alcohol craving suitable for use with AUD populations in time-limited clinical and research settings.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jason M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Coates
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Gullo
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Gerald F X
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Feeney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Children's Health Research, Institute of Health & Biomedical Innovation and School of Psychology & Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
authors.affiliation: Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Ross McD
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Young
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Genevieve A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dingle
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Cognition Institute, Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7439-9200
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: May
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Cognition Institute, Plymouth University, Plymouth, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jackie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Dixie J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Statham
authors.affiliation: Centre for Youth Substance Abuse Research, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|Alcohol and Drug Assessment Unit, Department of Medicine, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.|School of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Jason P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Connor
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D066249:Craving; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital / Q000592:standards; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: Alcohol Use Disorder; Craving; Measurement; Scale Development; Urge