Assessing the Validity of College Alcohol Problem Scale With African-American Undergraduates: Results of Preliminary Investigation

• NCJ Number: 201573
• Journal: Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 46 Issue: 3 Dated: Spring 2001 Pages: 4-17
• Author(s): Steven L. West Ph.D.; Carolyn W. Graham Ph.D.
• Date Published: 2003
• Length: 14 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Test/Measurement
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Portions of this research were presented as a poster presentation at the 15th annual U.S. Department of Education National Meeting on Alcohol, Other Drug, and Violence Prevention in Higher Education, Arlington, VA.

Annotation

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the College Alcohol Problem Scale (CAPS) (O'Hare, 1997), using a preliminary sample of 33 African-American college students.

Abstract

The CAPS was designed to be a brief screening instrument that is sensitive to the degree of alcohol use and consequences associated with college students' drinking. In studies that have considered the consequences encountered by student drinkers cited for campus alcohol policy violations, the CAPS has demonstrated an ability to identify heavy student drinkers and the consequences they face. To date, however, the CAPS, like many assessment devices normed on general college samples, has been used and validated on samples that have been largely Anglo. The current research is the first step in a preliminary investigation of the cultural appropriateness of the device, with participants recruited from the pool of African-American students attending a large, predominately Anglo, southwestern university. A random sample of 150 such students living in on-campus housing were sent a questionnaire packet. A total of 33 individuals (10 males and 23 females) returned usable surveys. The average age of all respondents was 19. The CAPS was evaluated for its reliability and accuracy in identifying potential abusive drinkers by estimation of its sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and likelihood ratios by using DSM-IV criteria for alcohol abuse as the reference standard. The CAPS' effectiveness was also compared with the CAGE (Concerned, Annoyed, Guilty, Eye-Opener) (Wesing and Rouse, 1970) and the Alcohol Use Disorder identification Test (AUDIT) (Bohn, Babor, and Kranzler, 1995). The evaluation found that CAPS demonstrated substantially better performance than the CAGE or AUDIT in determining abusive drinking in this sample of African-American college students. The CAPS correctly identified 89 percent and 70 percent of individuals noted to be abusive drinkers. Also, the CAPS was the only device to be significantly correlated with the DSM standard. The results of this study thus indicate that the CAPS is a reliable and effective device for the identification of abusive drinking among African-American college students. 4 tables and 41 references