Factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in a mental health clinic sample

OBJECTIVE: To examine the factor structure of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and to identify the implications of this structure for its clinical use. METHOD: The AUDIT was administered to mental health clinic outpatients (N = 197; 86% men) at high risk for alcohol-use disorders. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to determine the underlying factor structure of the AUDIT for this high-risk population. RESULTS: Confirmatory analyses indicated that the a priori three- and one-factor solutions did not fit the observed data. The exploratory analyses supported a two-factor solution that included level of alcohol consumption and drinking problems, with both factors explaining substantial variance in AUDIT scores. These findings contrast the original three-factor design of the AUDIT and the conventional use of the AUDIT as a one-factor screening device with a single cutoff score. CONCLUSIONS: Other screening methods that incorporate this two-factor model may be important for mental health patient populations. Replication of these findings among other mental health samples is needed.