Factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a mental health clinic sample

To examine the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and to identify the implications of this structure for its clinical use.

The AUDIT was administered to mental health clinic outpatients (N = 197; 86% men) at high risk for alcohol-use disorders. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to determine the underlying factor structure of the AUDIT for this high-risk population.

Confirmatory analyses indicated that the a priori three- and one-factor solutions did not fit the observed data. The exploratory analyses supported a two-factor solution that included level of alcohol consumption and drinking problems, with both factors explaining substantial variance in AUDIT scores. These findings contrast the original three-factor design of the AUDIT and the conventional use of the AUDIT as a one-factor screening device with a single cutoff score.

Other screening methods that incorporate this two-factor model may be important for mental health patient populations. Replication of these findings among other mental health samples is needed.