The development and initial validation of the identification of alcohol dependence in women scale.

The purpose of this research was to develop the Identification of Alcohol Dependence in Women (IADW) Scale, which is a 51-question instrument, designed to discriminate between alcohol and non-alcohol dependent women. Questions focus on physical, psychological, family and home life, and use of alcohol. Initial testing of the IADW Scale provides preliminary evidence that it is reliable, has content validity, and is capable of correctly classifying group membership with accuracy. Eighty-six percent of the cases in the alcohol dependent group and 98% of the non-alcohol dependent group were correctly classified using direct and stepwise methods of discriminant analysis.