Citation

Miller MB, Dibello AM, Merrill JE, Carey KB. Addict. Behav. 2019; 99: e106079.

Affiliation

Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University School of Public Health, Box G-S121-5, Providence, RI 02912, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.addbeh.2019.106079

PMID

31442787

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Blackouts are common among young adults and predict alcohol-related harm. However, existing measures do not capture the range of alcohol-induced memory impairment involved in blackout experiences and do not differentiate between fragmentary and en bloc blackouts. This study aimed to develop and validate a brief, reliable measure of alcohol-induced blackouts among young adults.

METHODS: College students reporting alcohol-induced memory impairment in the past year were recruited via Qualtrics to participate in an online survey (N = 350, 56% female). A subsample (n = 109, 67% female) completed a one-month follow-up. Principal component analysis was used to determine the structure of the Alcohol-Induced Blackout Measure (ABOM), which was designed to reflect two components (fragmentary and en bloc blackouts). The reliability and validity of the total ABOM score was assessed.

RESULTS: The final five items fit in a two-component scale structure; however, a single principal component accounted for 73% of variance in blackout items, all of which demonstrated high component loadings and communalities. The total blackout score demonstrated strong internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent and incremental validity. ABOM scores predicted alcohol-related consequences at baseline and one-month follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS: The ABOM is a brief and reliable, self-report measure that quantifies the frequency of a range of blackout experiences in the past 30 days. Accounting for this range of experiences improved predictive validity over single-item blackout measures. Blackout frequency is a strong, unique predictor of alcohol-related problems.

Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

Alcohol; Amnesia; College students; Drinking; Young adults