Psychometric properties of the drinking expectancy questionnaire: A review of the factor structure and a proposed new scoring method

Objective: Expectancies about the outcomes of alcohol consumption are widely accepted as important determinants of drinking. This construct is increasingly recognized as a significant element of psychological interventions for alcohol-related problems. Much effort has been invested in producing reliable and valid instruments to measure this construct for research and clinical purposes, but very few have had their factor structure subjected to adequate validation. Among them, the Drinking Expectancies Questionnaire (DEQ) was developed to address some theoretical and design issues with earlier expectancy scales. Exploratory factor analyses, in addition to validity and reliability analyses, were performed when the original questionnaire was developed. The object of this study was to undertake a confirmatory analysis of the factor structure of the DEQ. Method: Confirmatory factor analysis through LISREL 8 was performed using a randomly split sample of 679 drinkers. Results: Results suggested that a new 5-factor model, which differs slightly from the original 6-factor version, was a more robust measure of expectancies. A new method of scoring the DEQ consistent with this factor structure is presented. Conclusions: The present study shows more robust psychometric properties of the DEQ using the new factor structure.

Alcohol-related associative strength and drinking behaviours: concurrent and prospective relationships

The first part of this research assessed the longitudinal relationships between alcohol- related associative strength and alcohol use measured at two time- points, 6 months apart. Cross-lagged results support the utility of alcohol- related associative strength to predict drinking behaviours prospectively and vice versa. These results remained after competing explanations of previous use, autocorrelations between memory measures, sensation seeking and background variables of age and gender were accounted for. Findings offer further evidence for an implicit cognitions approach to drinking processes. In the second part of our study, cross-sectional analysis investigated potential mediating mechanisms in the relation of associative strength to quantity and frequency dimensions of drinking. Mediational models provide preliminary evidence that implicit memory processes may have differential effects on quantity and frequency dimensions of drinking behaviours. The results point to the possibility that increasing awareness of implicit alcohol-related associations may have utility in interventions for young adults.