Ulrike Grittner1,2, Kim Bloomfield1,2,3,4,5, Sandra Kuntsche6, Sarah Callinan6, Oliver Stanesby6, Gerhard Gmel7,8,9,10. 1. Institute of Biometry and Clinical Epidemiology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany. 2. Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany. 3. Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Copenhagen, Denmark. 4. Health Promotion Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Esbjerg, Denmark. 5. Alcohol Research Group, Public Health Institute, Emeryville, USA. 6. Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, School of Psychology and Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. 7. Alcohol Treatment Centre, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland. 8. Research Department, Addiction Switzerland, Lausanne, Switzerland. 9. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Institute for Mental Health Policy Research, Toronto, Canada. 10. Faculty of Health and Applied Science, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The heavy drinking of others may negatively affect an individual on several dimensions of life. Until now, there is scarce research about how to judge the severity of various experiences of such harms. This study aims to empirically scale the severity of such harm items and to determine who is at most risk of these harms. METHODS: We used population-based survey data from 10 countries of the GENAHTO project (Gender and Alcohol's Harms to Others, data collection: 2011-2016). Questions about harms from others' drinking asked about verbal and physical harm, damage of belongings, traffic accidents, harassment, threatening behaviour, family and financial problems. We used item response theory methods (IRT) to scale severity of the aforementioned items. To acknowledge culturally based variations in different countries, we assessed 'differential item functioning'. RESULTS: The items 'family problems', 'financial problems' and 'clothes and property damage' as well as 'physical harm' were scaled as more severe in most countries compared to other items. Substantial differential item functioning was present in more than half of the country pairings. The item 'financial problems' was most often differentially scaled. Younger people who drank more, as well as women (compared to men), reported more harm. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Using IRT, we were able to evaluate grades of severity in harms from others' drinking. IRT scaling yielded in similar rankings of items as reported from other studies. However, empirical scaling allows for more differentiated severity scaling than simple summary scores and is more sensitive to cultural differences.
INTRODUCTION: The heavy drinking of others may negatively affect an individual on several dimensions of life. Until now, there is scarce research about how to judge the severity of various experiences of such harms. This study aims to empirically scale the severity of such harm items and to determine who is at most risk of these harms. METHODS: We used population-based survey data from 10 countries of the GENAHTO project (Gender and Alcohol's Harms to Others, data collection: 2011-2016). Questions about harms from others' drinking asked about verbal and physical harm, damage of belongings, traffic accidents, harassment, threatening behaviour, family and financial problems. We used item response theory methods (IRT) to scale severity of the aforementioned items. To acknowledge culturally based variations in different countries, we assessed 'differential item functioning'. RESULTS: The items 'family problems', 'financial problems' and 'clothes and property damage' as well as 'physical harm' were scaled as more severe in most countries compared to other items. Substantial differential item functioning was present in more than half of the country pairings. The item 'financial problems' was most often differentially scaled. Younger people who drank more, as well as women (compared to men), reported more harm. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Using IRT, we were able to evaluate grades of severity in harms from others' drinking. IRT scaling yielded in similar rankings of items as reported from other studies. However, empirical scaling allows for more differentiated severity scaling than simple summary scores and is more sensitive to cultural differences.
Authors: Oliver Stanesby; Gerhard Gmel; Kathryn Graham; Thomas K Greenfield; Orratai Waleewong; Sharon C Wilsnack Journal: Nordisk Alkohol Nark Date: 2020-03-09