An exploratory factor analysis of an e-CHUG drinking motives scale with mandated students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Intervention Science

Background:

• Colleges implement alcohol policies with sanctions often requiring alcohol education or counseling.
• Electronic Checkup to Go (e-CHUG) is a common online motivational intervention for college student drinking behaviors.
• The psychometric properties of e-CHUG's measures, particularly the drinking motives scale, require evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the factor structure of the 18-item drinking motives scale within the e-CHUG intervention.
• To assess the construct and incremental validity of the drinking motives measure.
• To determine the relationship between drinking motives and alcohol-related outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 3,546 college students mandated to complete e-CHUG between 2013 and 2021.
• Conducted exploratory factor analysis on the drinking motives scale.
• Performed hierarchical regression analyses with alcohol consumption, drinking consequences, and AUDIT scores as outcomes.

Main Results:

• Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors: coping motives and a combined enhancement/social motives factor.
• Both coping motives and enhancement/social motives significantly and uniquely predicted drinking consequences.
• Both motive factors also uniquely predicted Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores.

Conclusions:

• The study supports the construct and incremental validity of the e-CHUG drinking motives measure.
• Findings suggest drinking motives are important considerations within e-CHUG interventions.
• Validated measures enhance the utility of online interventions for college student drinking.