An examination of the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test in two high-risk samples.

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was examined by employing confirmatory factor analytic techniques to data from two samples collected 1998-1999: college students (n = 465) and court-referred, substance use treatment outpatients (clinical sample; n = 135). Despite the fact that the AUDIT was originally designed as a three-factor measure (consumption, dependence, and consequences), previous studies have lent support to one- and two-factor models. The results of this study support a two-factor model (alcohol consumption and dependence/consequences) in both samples. As further evidence that the two-factor model is appropriate, a psychometric evaluation suggested that the AUDIT generated reliable scores in both groups when used as either a one- or two-factor measure, but not when three scores are derived in the student sample.