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Published on: January 5, 2018
Development and validation of the Retrospective Alcohol Context Scale
Darren Mays1, Stuart Usdan, Kimberly Jacob Arriola
1Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, USA. dmmays@sph.emory.edu
The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse
|March 27, 2009
Summary
The Retrospective Alcohol Context Scale (RACS) effectively measures college students' drinking contexts. This validated tool aids research when time and resources are limited.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Public Health
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Limited validated instruments exist to assess the specific context and outcomes of alcohol consumption events in college student populations.
- Understanding drinking contexts is crucial for developing targeted interventions and prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the Retrospective Alcohol Context Scale (RACS), a novel instrument designed to capture 30-day retrospective drinking contexts among college students.
- To provide a reliable and efficient measure for assessing alcohol consumption patterns in a key demographic.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 169 college students participated in a 30-day daily alcohol assessment protocol.
- Participants subsequently completed the Retrospective Alcohol Context Scale (RACS) to evaluate its psychometric properties.
Main Results:
- The RACS demonstrated high agreement with daily assessments regarding drinking context variables.
- While capturing fewer negative consequences compared to daily logs, the RACS proved efficient for retrospective data collection.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the Retrospective Alcohol Context Scale (RACS) as a valid measure for assessing drinking contexts in college students.
- The RACS offers a practical solution for collecting drinking context information under constraints of time and resources.
- Future research should explore the RACS's utility in more diverse populations and over extended durations.
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