Student Drinking-Related Problems in an Urban Campus: Implications for Research and Prevention

Abstract

Objective: Researchers who study the etiology of college drinking typically employ measures of alcohol-use behaviors as outcomes; however, relatively little is known about the properties of alcohol-related problems (AP). This study aims to develop a single continuous measure of AP. Participants: The sample included 531 undergraduate college students who were surveyed in March 2007. Methods: The Rasch model was employed for dichotomous variables to analyze the measurement properties of 17 AP items. Results: Although issues with respect to differentiation at low levels of problem severity were identified, based on most strategies, the Rasch-based scale was shown to be a valid and reliable measure of AP among college students. Conclusions: Although there may be some need for slight modification and adjustment in the future, the AP scale developed here can potentially serve as a useful measure for etiological and prevention research.

Keywords:

• alcohol-related problems
• college students
• Rasch

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Paul Dupont, the director of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Counseling Center, for his helpful comments on the manuscript, and Larry Rubin, Assistant Vice President of the University of Wisconsin System, for making the data available. The authors are solely responsible for the content of this publication.

This research was partially supported by National Institute On Drug Abuse Grant #R01DA018625

Notes

*This category includes African Americans, Latinos, American Indians, Asians, Biracials, and those who preferred not to answer this question.

*DIF that was statistically significant at the .05 level and above noticeable effect size cutoff point of 0.50 logits.