NCJ Number
175194
Journal
Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education Volume: 43 Issue: 2 Dated: Winter 1998 Pages: 75-97
Date Published
1998
Length
23 pages
Annotation
A study designed to replicate an earlier analysis to provide some initial covalidation of a screening instrument for measuring youthful problem drinking collected information from 312 college students who were cited for underage alcohol use and adjudicated in the same university prevention setting.
Abstract
The 20-item College Alcohol Problem Scale (CAPS) was based on standardized and unstandardized instruments used in prominent college drinking studies conducted over the past 20 years. The participants were undergraduate students at the University of Rhode Island. They completed the anonymous questionnaire consecutively between September 1996 and May 1997 as part of an adjudication process for having been cited by campus authorities primarily for violating university rules concerning underage drinking. Results revealed close replication of the earlier findings in factor structure and internal consistency ratings. Subscale factors were also covalidated with a measure of heavy/peak drinking as derived from the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. CAPS appears to be a promising screening instrument for university counseling centers, student health services, or adjudication services. It can also be useful as an adjunctive tool in general college drinking surveys, as a means for prevention personnel to tailor brief interventions to specific drinking-related problems, and as a simple self-monitoring device during follow-up treatment and evaluation. Tables and 17 references (Author abstract modified)