Temporal stability of the Experienced Control Scale within an alcoholic male population

Several reports have suggested relations of alcohol abuse to level of control experienced over various life pressures or forces. This study assessed test-retest reliability of the Experienced Control Scale (EC) (Tiffany, 1967) within a male alcoholic sample. The EC was completed on two occasions 1 week apart by 48 inpatients on an alcoholism treatment unit. Resulting test-retest reliability coefficients were .57 for the Internal ratio score, .79 for the External ratio score, .72 for the sum of the two ratio scores, and from .56 to .69 for the four basic scores used in computing ratio scores. Intellectual ability as assessed by the Shipley Institute of Living Scale was unrelated to EC scores and occasionally but conflictingly related to temporal stability of EC scores. Neither age nor education showed a significant relationship to temporal stability of the EC or to ratio scores. Implications of findings for clinical and research applications of the EC are discussed, particularly support for combining the ratio scores rather than treating them separately. Possible determinants of the obtained stability of the EC also are explored.