Citation

Kiselica AM, Webber TA, Bornovalova MA. Addiction 2015; 111(5): 806-816.

Affiliation

University of South Florida, Department of Psychology, Tampa, FL, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/add.13254

PMID

26616514

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Behavioral economists assess alcohol consumption as a function of unit price. This method allows construction of demand curves and demand indices, which are thought to provide precise numerical estimates of risk for alcohol problems. One of the more commonly used behavioral economic measures is the Alcohol Purchase Task (APT). Though the APT has shown promise as a measure of risk for alcohol problems, the construct validity and incremental utility of the APT remain unclear. This manuscript presents a meta-analysis of the APT literature.

METHODS: Sixteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Studies were gathered via searches of the PsycInfo, PubMed, Web of Science, and EconLit research databases. Random effects meta-analyses with inverse variance weighting were used to calculate summary effect sizes for each demand index-drinking outcome relationship. Moderation of these effects by drinking status (regular v. heavy drinkers) was examined. Additionally, tests of the incremental utility of the APT indices in predicting drinking problems above and beyond measuring alcohol consumption were performed.

RESULTS: The APT indices were correlated in the expected directions with drinking outcomes, though many effects were small in size. These effects were typically not moderated by the drinking status of the samples. Additionally, the intensity metric demonstrated incremental utility in predicting alcohol use disorder symptoms beyond measuring drinking.

CONCLUSIONS: The Alcohol Purchase Task appears to have good construct validity, but limited incremental utility in estimating risk for alcohol problems.

Language: en