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Development of a Brief Abstinence Self-Efficacy Measure
Patrick McKiernan1, Richard Cloud, David A Patterson
1Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville; and Director, Sober Solutions House, Louisville, Kentucky, USA.
Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions
|April 6, 2013
Summary
A new 12-item Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy (AASE) scale effectively measures confidence and temptation, offering a reliable and valid alternative to the 40-item version. This shorter scale is a more efficient tool for clinical practice.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Self-efficacy is crucial for maintaining alcohol abstinence.
- Existing measures, like the 40-item Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy (AASE) scale, can be lengthy for clinical use.
- Developing shorter, validated instruments is important for efficient clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the psychometric properties of the full 40-item AASE scale with a newly developed 12-item version.
- To assess the reliability and validity of the 12-item AASE scale in measuring confidence and temptation domains.
- To determine if the brief version is a suitable clinical tool.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 126 participants completed both the 40-item and 12-item AASE scales.
- Psychometric analysis was employed to evaluate reliability and validity.
- Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) was calculated for confidence and temptation domains.
Main Results:
- The 40-item AASE scale demonstrated high reliability for confidence (α = .92) and temptation (α = .88).
- The 12-item version showed comparable reliability and validity to the longer scale.
- High correlations were observed between the domains in both versions.
Conclusions:
- The 12-item Alcohol Abstinence Self-Efficacy scale is a reliable and valid measure.
- The brief version provides an efficient tool for assessing confidence and temptation related to alcohol abstinence in clinical settings.
- This shorter scale facilitates practical application in managing alcohol use disorders.
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