The Drinking Context Scale A confirmatory factor analysis

The current article examines the development and validation of the Drinking Context Scale through the use of confirmatory factor analysis. The scale measures the self-reported likelihood of excessive drinking across a number of specific social--cognitive drinking contexts. Five-hundred-and-five college students adjudicated for breaking university drinking rules filled out the anonymous questionnaire. Three factors including convivial, intimate, and negative coping contexts were confirmed, and these factors demonstrated good reliability and evidence of concurrent validity with other substance abuse indices, including the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test and the College Alcohol Problem Scale. Implications for the DCS as an assessment tool for prevention and early intervention with young people are discussed. [C] 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Youthful drinking; Assessment; Substance abuse; Drinking context; Situational drinking; College students; Alcohol instruments; Confirmatory factor analysis