The Factor Structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) Volume 68, 2007 > Issue 3: May 2007
Past research assessing the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) with various exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic techniques has identified one-, two-, and three-factor solutions.
Because different factor analytic procedures may result in dissimilar findings, we examined the factor structure of the AUDIT using the same factor analytic technique on two new large clinical samples and on archival data from six samples studied in previous reports.
Across samples, analyses supported a correlated, two-factor solution representing alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences. The three-factor solution fit the data equally well, but two factors (alcohol dependence and harmful alcohol use) were highly correlated. The one-factor solution did not provide a good fit to the data.
These findings support a two-factor solution for the AUDIT (alcohol consumption and alcohol-related consequences). The results contradict the original three-factor design of the AUDIT and the prevalent use of the AUDIT as a one-factor screening instrument with a single cutoff score.
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