Alcohol use inventory: screening and assessment of first-time driving-while-impaired offenders. I. Reliability and profiles

• Published in: Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford) Vol. 36; no. 2; pp. 112 - 121
• Main Authors: Chang, I., Lapham, S. C., Wanberg, K. W.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 01.03.2001; Oxford Publishing Limited (England)
• Subjects: Addictive behaviors; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - legislation & jurisprudence; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Alcohol Use Inventory; Alcoholism; Automobile Driving - legislation & jurisprudence; Automobile Driving - psychology; Automobile Driving - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; Cluster Analysis; Drunken drivers; European Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Indians, North American - psychology; Indians, North American - statistics & numerical data; Male; Medical sciences; Motor vehicles; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reproducibility of Results; Research Design; Screening; United States; United States; Consumption; Human; Ethanol; Vehicle driving; Inebriation; Toxicity; Alcoholism; Recidivism; Sex; Ethnic group; Alcohol Use Inventory Horn; Alcoholic beverage; Investigation method; Reliability; Comparative study
• ISSN: 0735-0414; 1464-3502; 1464-3502
• DOI: 10.1093/alcalc/36.2.112

— This study evaluated the use of the Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI) in a drink-driving offender population court-mandated to attend a screening programme. We compared offenders' scale scores, reliability statistics and profiles to those from two clinical populations on which the AUI was normed. Among offenders, males and females had similar levels of involvement with alcohol, and Native Americans had higher scale scores than other ethnic groups. Comparisons with the normative population revealed lower mean scale scores and lower reliability scores among offenders. Differences between the offender and normative populations were most pronounced for the primary scales. We also found inconsistencies in offenders' responses to certain questions. To address this, we recommend that, when using the AUI for screening offenders: (1) screeners place more emphasis on second- and third-order scales than primary scales; (2) lower cut-off points be used for identifying problem drinkers; (3) counsellors conduct in-person interviews with clients to develop rapport and encourage self-disclosure.