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Friday, March 25, 2011

Measuring Alcohol Craving: Development of the Alcohol Craving Questionnaire



To develop a measure of craving based on the Elaborated Intrusion (EI) theory of desire and to examine the construct, concurrent and discriminant validity of the instrument.
Patients from a hospital alcohol and drug outpatient service (N = 230), participants in a randomised controlled trial (N = 219) and students in a university-based study of alcohol craving (N = 202) were recruited.
The Alcohol Craving Experience questionnaire (ACE) was developed to measure sensory aspects of craving (imagining taste, smell or sensations of drinking and intrusive cognitions associated with craving) when craving was maximal during the previous week (ACE-S: Strength), and to assess frequency of desire-related thoughts in the past week (ACE-F: Frequency). All participants completed the ACE and the AUDIT. The OCDS and the DASS were completed by hospital patients and randomised control trial participants.
Exploratory factor analysis on the ACE-S and ACE-F resulted in a three-factor structure representing Imagery, Strength and Intrusion. An attempt to confirm this factor structure required a reduction in items (two from ACE-S, five from ACE-F) before a good fit to the three-factor model was obtained. Concurrent validity with the OCDS, with severity of alcohol dependence and with depression, anxiety and stress was demonstrated. The ACE discriminated between clinical and non-clinical populations and between those at higher risk of alcohol dependence and those at lower risk.
A new scale, the Alcohol Craving Experience (ACE) questionnaire, based on the Elaborated Intrusion theory of desire appears to capture key constructs of the theory and correlate with indices of alcohol dependence.


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