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Aims: Structured clinical interviewing is considered the gold standard in psychiatric diagnosis. The Diagnostic Assessment Research Tool (DART) is a novel modularized, non-copywritten, semi-structured interview; however, no studies have examined the psychometric properties of its alcohol use disorder (AUD) module. The primary aims of this study were to: (i) validate the factor structure of the DART AUD module and (ii) examine measurement invariance across several key demographic and subgroup factors., Methods: Participants were community members in Hamilton, Canada and Boston, USA who self-identified as making a significant AUD recovery attempt (N = 499). Internal reliability was examined via the Kuder-Richardson 20 statistic, and correlations between symptom count and drinking quantity/frequency were examined. Then, symptom-level data were included in a confirmatory factor analysis to examine model fit of a single hypothesized factor structure. Finally, measurement invariance analyses were conducted for sex, age, ethnicity (White vs. racialized), and study site., Results: This study found evidence for adequate internal reliability (rKR20 = 0.75), and symptom scores correlated with drinking quantity and frequency (r = 0.16-0.43). Confirmatory factor analysis results suggested excellent fit for the unidimensional one-factor AUD model (χ2 = 0.09, confirmatory factor index = 0.99, Tucker Lewis index = 0.99, standardized root mean square residual = 0.06, root mean square error of approximation = 0.02). Measurement invariance analyses revealed that the factor structure was equivalent between sex, age, ethnicity, and study site., Conclusions: Findings provide strong evidence for the psychometric validity of the DART AUD module and support its use in research and clinical practice. The DART represents a credible alternative to other diagnostic interviewing tools for AUD., (© The Author(s) 2024. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press.)

Background: Individuals' social networks exert a strong influence on alcohol use, but valid assessment of network drinking behavior is typically lengthy and high in participant burden. The aim of this study was to validate the Brief Alcohol Social Density Assessment (BASDA), an efficient measure of perceived alcohol use within a person's social network, in a sample of adult drinkers from the general community. Specifically, the convergent, criterion-related, incremental validity and internal validity were investigated by examining the BASDA in relation to other established measures of drinking motives, weekly drinking level, and severity of involvement., Methods: Participants were 903 (56% female) adults who reported drinking in the last year and who completed the BASDA, the Drinking Motives Questionnaire, the Daily Drinking Questionnaire, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)., Results: Significant positive correlations were found between the BASDA and drinking motives, drinking quantity, and the AUDIT (rs = 0.21 to 0.51, ps < 0.001), providing support for convergent validity. There was a significantly higher BASDA score for those scoring at or above an AUDIT cutoff for hazardous drinking (p < 0.001), providing support for criterion-related validity. Finally, beyond motives and covariates, the BASDA was significantly associated with total AUDIT score (ΔR 2  = 0.09, p < 0.001), indicating its additive contribution and providing support for incremental validity. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed excellent fit, and all items significantly loaded onto a single factor (p < 0.0001), providing evidence of internal validity. The resulting alcohol social density latent variable was significantly and robustly associated with drinks per week and AUDIT total score., Conclusions: These findings provide further support for the BASDA as a valid and efficient measure of social network alcohol density for understanding social influences on alcohol misuse., (© 2019 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.)

Aims Structured clinical interviewing is considered the gold standard in psychiatric diagnosis. The Diagnostic Assessment Research Tool (DART) is a novel modularized, non-copywritten, semi-structured interview; however, no studies have examined the psychometric properties of its alcohol use disorder (AUD) module. The primary aims of this study were to: (i) validate the factor structure of the DART AUD module and (ii) examine measurement invariance across several key demographic and subgroup factors. Methods Participants were community members in Hamilton, Canada and Boston, USA who self-identified as making a significant AUD recovery attempt (N  = 499). Internal reliability was examined via the Kuder–Richardson 20 statistic, and correlations between symptom count and drinking quantity/frequency were examined. Then, symptom-level data were included in a confirmatory factor analysis to examine model fit of a single hypothesized factor structure. Finally, measurement invariance analyses were conducted for sex, age, ethnicity (White vs. racialized), and study site. Results This study found evidence for adequate internal reliability (rKR20  = 0.75), and symptom scores correlated with drinking quantity and frequency (r  = 0.16–0.43). Confirmatory factor analysis results suggested excellent fit for the unidimensional one-factor AUD model (χ 2 = 0.09, confirmatory factor index = 0.99, Tucker Lewis index = 0.99, standardized root mean square residual = 0.06, root mean square error of approximation = 0.02). Measurement invariance analyses revealed that the factor structure was equivalent between sex, age, ethnicity, and study site. Conclusions Findings provide strong evidence for the psychometric validity of the DART AUD module and support its use in research and clinical practice. The DART represents a credible alternative to other diagnostic interviewing tools for AUD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]