Factorial validity and equivalency of the alcohol expectancy questionnaire tension-reduction subscale across gender and drinking frequency

Abstract

The first aim of the present study was to examine whether the items on the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire Tension-Reduction Subscale (TR-AEQ) measure a common underlying factor. The second and third aims, respectively, were to assess the factorial invariance of the TR-AEQ across gender and drinking frequency. Subjects were 503 social-drinking college undergraduates. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a common-factor model with seven pairs of correlated disturbances fit the data well. Equivalence testing yielded factorial invariance across gender and partial factorial invariance across drinking frequency. These data support the factorial validity of the TR-AEQ and have implications for psychometric assessment and the evaluation and identification of problem drinking behavior.

Measurement Equivalence of the Brief Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Scale in a Multiethnic Sample of College Students

“…Findings also suggest similar B‐CEOA factor structures for men and women, and are consistent with previous work, which found factorial invariance across genders in specific AOE domains (Abbey et al, ; Hittner, ). The factor structures for positive AOE as well as both types of expectancy evaluations fully met all forms of invariance for both genders.…”

“…Conversely, other studies have found factorial invariance across gender for a tension reduction AOE factor (Hittner, ) and four sexually specific AOE factors (Abbey et al, ) in American college students. No known published work includes an investigation of the factor structure of expectancy evaluations across genders.…”

Risk Perception of Alcohol Consumption

“…Its psychometric properties have been criticized,' but a recent careful study confirmed at least the tension reduction subscale. 6 Cognitive resources (education and self-consciousness) were found to be predictive of more nuanced differentiation of alcohol expectancies.' Swedish' and Norwegian' versions of the AEQ have been published.…”

Measurement Invariance of the Pay Satisfaction Questionnaire Across Three Countries

“…Note that we did not test the equality of the error variances because this is generally considered to be an overly restrictive test (Byrne, 1998;Hittner, 1995;Yin & Fan, 2003). To determine whether constraining parameters to be invariant across groups yielded a meaningful decrease in fit, the Dw 2 has traditionally been used as the index of difference in fit.…”

“…sequence of increasingly more restrictive tests of invariance across groups via EQS 6 (see Byrne, 1998;Hancock, 1997): (a) factor form (i.e., the same number of factors and the factors have the same variables that load on them), (b) factor pattern coefficients, and (c) factor variances and covariances. Note that we did not test the equality of the error variances because this is generally considered to be an overly restrictive test (Byrne, 1998;Hittner, 1995;Yin & Fan, 2003).…”