Structure and longitudinal invariance of the Short Alcohol and Alcohol Problems Perception Questionnaire

Many studies have employed the Short Alcohol Attitudes Problem Perception Questionnaire (SAAPPQ) to measure professionals' attitudes toward working with people experiencing alcohol problems. However, research has not confirmed the internal structure of the SAAPPQ, leaving open the possibility that scale scores are not valid empirical proxies for underlying attitudes. It is also unclear if measurement invariance holds over time or across groups. This is an important gap in light of evidence that (a) experiences can change the structure of scales and (b) structures of some popular scales differ dramatically between groups. Thus, measurement bias may confound comparisons of composite SAAPPQ scores between measurement occasions or groups. To address these gaps in the literature, we conducted a longitudinal examination of the psychometrics of the SAAPPQ using data from 241 human services professionals-in-training. We found a four-factor structure, rather than the previously reported five factors. Configural, metric, and a strong degree of scalar invariance held longitudinally. Few factor intercorrelations were significant at time one and they strengthened over time, suggesting that the SAAPPQ should not be aggregated at higher-order levels (i.e., global scores should not be used). Findings suggest four SAAPPQ subscale scores may be used as valid proxies for attitudes toward alcohol users; however, additional confirmatory studies are needed to ensure that measurement bias does not compromise inferences based on SAAPPQ scores.