Development, Reliability, and Validity of Self-Reported Alcohol-Use Measures with Young Adolescents

Abstract

Data concerning adolescent alcohol use and abuse are collected primarily with self-report instruments. The accuracy of epidemiologic, etiologic, and prevention research depends on the reliability and validity of these measures. This study details several steps in the development of reliable and valid mesures for alcohol use prevention research with young adolescents, including item selection, pretesting using focus group methods, a deductive scale development approach, and identification of inconsistent responders. Reliability and validity analyses are presented for samples of sixth- and eight-grade students for newly constructed scales measuring adolescent alcohol use and its risk factors. Results demonstrate that young adolescents can give reliable and valid responses to self-report measures previously used with older adolescents, thus supporting the utility of such instruments in prevention research.