A differential assessment model for alcoholism. The scales of the Alcohol Use Inventory.

Abstract

The scales of the Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI) were discussed to provide a general description of their use and psychometric properties. The AUI, developed to give researchers an operational definition of multiple manifestations of alcohol problems, consists of 147 items. The variables measure styles of alcohol use and the unfavorable and beneficial consequences of drinking. Factor analysis produced 16 primary factors which explain most of the variance among these items, and each factor became an AUI scale (e.g., Drink to Improve Sociability, Drink to Improve Mental Functioning, Loss of Behavior Control when Drinking,). Factor analysis of the primary scales produced 4 broad 2nd-order factors: Self-Enhancement Drinking; Obsessive, Sustained Drinking; Anxiety Related to Drinking; and Alcohol-Use Disruption. A final scale, a broad principal component factor labeled General Alcoholism, was also derived and incorporates about 30% of the common variance of the 4 2nd-order factors. Sample uses of the scales provided, and the background and goals of their development were discussed.