Psychometric evaluation of the Drinking Patterns Questionnaire: a measure of high-risk drinking situations

PURPOSE: The Drinking Patterns Questionnaire (DPQ) is a self-report instrument designed to identify high-risk (HR) drinking situations. While prior investigation has established the preliminary psychometric properties of the DPQ, additional research is needed. The current study evaluated the construct validity of the Work-Related, Financial, Parents, and Children subscales of the DPQ as well as the internal consistency of all subscales. METHOD: One hundred and thirty-four alcohol-dependent inpatients completed a questionnaire packet containing the DPQ, a demographics questionnaire, four measures used to evaluate the convergent validity of DPQ subscales, and three measures of alcohol use disorder symptoms. RESULTS: DPQ subscales evidenced adequate to strong internal consistency (coefficient alphas of .691 to .921). Significant Pearson's r correlations were found between scores on the Work-Related, Financial, and Children subscales and those on their corresponding correlate measures. Findings for the validity of the Parents subscale were mixed. CONCLUSION: Study results provide support for the construct validity for the Work-Related, Financial, and Children subscales and indicate that all DPQ subscales exhibit solid internal consistency.