CROSS-CULTURAL EVALUATION OF TWO DRINKING ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENTS: ALCOHOL TIMELINE FOLLOWBACK AND INVENTORY OF DRINKING SITUATIONS

Abstract

This article describes the psychometric characteristics of two major assessment instruments used in a World Health Organization (WHO) clinical trial: (a) Alcohol Timeline Followback (TLFB, which assesses daily drinking patterns), and (b) Inventory of Drinking Situations (IDS, which assesses antecedents to “heavy” drinking). Clients (N=308) were outpatient alcohol abusers from four countries (Australia, Canada, Mexico, and Sweden). Generally, the Alcohol TLFB and IDS were shown to be reliable and valid with outpatient alcohol abusers in four countries, and in three languages. These results suggest that the Alcohol TLFB and the IDS can be used in clinical and research settings with Swedish-, Spanish-, and English-speaking alcohol abusers.

• Cross-cultural
• Alcohol abusers
• Timeline Followback
• Inventory of drinking situations

Notes

This study was supported by a joint grant from the Addiction Research Foundation (now the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Services) and the World Health Organization. Except for the first author, the names of the remaining authors are listed in alphabetical order.