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The Adolescent Alcohol Involvement Scale: some findings with young offenders
1Department for Family and Community Services, Psychological Services, P.O. Box 39, Rundle Mall, Adelaide, SA, 5001, Australia.
Drug and Alcohol Review
|January 1, 1992
Summary
The Adolescent Alcohol Involvement Scale (AAIS) reliably measures adolescent alcohol use and misuse. This scale is a valuable tool for assessing at-risk youth due to its broad sampling of clinically relevant behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Criminology
- Public Health
Background:
- The Adolescent Alcohol Involvement Scale (AAIS) has faced scrutiny regarding its reliability, item variance, and clinical utility.
- Previous research on the AAIS is limited, necessitating further validation studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability and internal consistency of the AAIS in a sample of young offenders.
- To determine the scale's clinical usefulness for assessing adolescent alcohol involvement.
Main Methods:
- Data were collected from 197 young offenders in custody in South Australia.
- Statistical analyses were performed to assess the reliability and factor structure of the AAIS.
Main Results:
- The AAIS demonstrated strong reliability and internal consistency as a measure of adolescent alcohol use and misuse.
- A significant general alcohol involvement factor was identified, with all items positively loading onto it.
- The scale effectively samples clinically relevant behaviors, highlighting the need for objective measures in at-risk populations.
Conclusions:
- The AAIS is a reliable and internally consistent instrument for assessing adolescent alcohol involvement.
- The scale's ability to capture a broad range of clinically relevant behaviors makes it a useful tool for working with at-risk youth.
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