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Invariance of the MAST across religious groups
S E Luczak1, A Raine, P H Venables
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, 92161-2002, USA. sluczak@ucsd.edu
Journal of Studies on Alcohol
|February 13, 2002
Summary
The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) shows measurement invariance for Hindus and Catholics but not for Muslims. This suggests the MAST may not be suitable for all drinker populations, emphasizing the need for cross-group validation.
Area of Science:
- Psychometrics
- Cross-cultural psychology
- Substance abuse research
Background:
- The Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) is a widely used tool for identifying alcohol-related problems.
- Cultural and religious factors may influence how individuals respond to psychological assessments.
- Previous research has not extensively examined the MAST's performance across diverse religious groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the MAST assesses the same underlying constructs across individuals from different religious backgrounds with varying alcohol use proscriptions.
- To determine the measurement invariance of the MAST in Hindu, Catholic, and Muslim populations.
Main Methods:
- The MAST was administered to 747 participants (465 Hindu, 223 Catholic, 59 Muslim) from the Joint Child Health Project at approximately 23 years of age.
- Multigroup structural equation modeling was employed to test for measurement invariance across religious groups.
- Factor invariance was specifically assessed to ensure consistent construct measurement.
Main Results:
- The factor structures of the MAST for Hindu and Catholic participants were consistent with previous international samples.
- Metric invariance was achieved for the Hindu and Catholic groups.
- Measurement invariance was not obtained for the Muslim group, indicating potential differences in construct measurement.
Conclusions:
- The MAST demonstrates measurement invariance across Hindu and Catholic drinkers, suggesting its utility in these populations.
- The lack of invariance in the Muslim sample indicates that the MAST may not be appropriate for all religious or cultural groups.
- These findings underscore the critical importance of testing for measurement invariance when utilizing psychological instruments with heterogeneous populations.