Factor structure of the drinking behavior interview in a private inpatient treatment program

The 32-item Drinking Behavior Interview (DBI) was administered to 103 patients newly admitted to a private, inpatient, alcohol problems treatment unit. When intercorrelations among the 32 variables were subjected to factor analysis, DBI profiles of alcoholics in this population differed primarily along four major dimensions: close interpersonal relationships, physical symptoms, societal functioning and alcohol consumption. Whereas the DBI has previously been used to define a single composite alcoholism index, these results suggest the importance of considering differences in components of the DBI profile pattern.