Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 2, 2026
05:40
The Motivation for Alcohol Reward: Predictors of Progressive-Ratio Intravenous Alcohol Self-Administration in Humans
Published on: April 28, 2022
3.1K
Readability of self-report alcohol misuse measures
R Kathryn McHugh1, Dawn E Sugarman1, Julia S Kaufman2
1Division of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs
|March 22, 2014
Summary
Many alcohol misuse self-report measures exceed recommended reading levels, potentially limiting their use. Improving readability is crucial for broader applicability in research and clinical settings.
Area of Science:
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
- Health Literacy
Background:
- Self-report measures are vital for assessing alcohol misuse and alcohol use disorders in research and clinical practice.
- Readability is a critical but often overlooked factor in the validity and accessibility of these assessment tools.
- High reading-grade levels can exclude individuals with lower literacy, hindering accurate data collection and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reading-grade level of validated self-report measures for alcohol misuse and related problems.
- To identify potential barriers to accessibility for diverse patient populations.
Main Methods:
- A systematic review identified 45 validated measures of alcohol misuse.
- Reading-grade level was assessed using three established readability formulas.
Main Results:
- The majority of the assessed measures were written above the recommended 5th-6th grade reading level for patient materials.
- Measure instructions, in particular, demonstrated significantly poor readability.
Conclusions:
- Many widely used alcohol misuse measures present a readability challenge, impacting their utility across different literacy levels.
- Selecting measures with appropriate readability is essential for effective research and clinical practice.
- Adapting or developing new measures for low-literacy populations can enhance their reach and impact.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
1.3K
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.
1.3K
02:05Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping
36.2K
People can go to great lengths to protect their self-image and present themselves in ways that they want others to see them. Sociologist Erving Goffman presented the idea that a person is like an actor on a stage. Calling his theory dramaturgy, Goffman believed that we use “impression management” to present ourselves to others as we hope to be perceived. Each situation is a new scene, and individuals perform different roles depending on who is present (Goffman, 1959). Think about...
36.2K
01:24Strategies of Self-Presentation III: Self-Monitoring
436
Self-monitoring is a central construct in understanding individual differences in self-presentation strategies across social contexts. It refers to how individuals observe, regulate, and control their expressive behavior and self-presentation following situational cues. Self-monitoring reflects a person's sensitivity to social appropriateness and willingness to adapt behavior to fit varying interpersonal demands.High vs. Low Self-Monitoring IndividualsIndividuals high in self-monitoring are...
436
02:45Self-Discrepancy Theory
17.9K
One influential perspective on what motivates people's behavior is detailed in Tory Higgin's self-discrepancy theory (Higgins, 1987). He proposed that people hold disagreeing internal representations of themselves that lead to different emotional states.
17.9K
01:29Self-Discrepancy and Its Effects
515
Self-discrepancy theory explains how people compare their actual self to their ideal and ought selves and how mismatches between these self-guides can lead to emotional distress. Developed by E. Tory Higgins, the theory distinguishes among three components of self-concept: the actual self, the ideal self, and the ought self. These refer respectively to how individuals perceive themselves, how they aspire to be, and how they believe they are obligated to be. Emotional well-being, self-esteem,...
515