Citation

Schwebel FJ, Richards DK, Andersson C, Larimer ME. Assessment 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10731911231195834

PMID

37694379

Abstract

Commensurate measures of alcohol-related consequences across countries and cultures are critical for addressing the global burden of hazardous alcohol use. The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI), developed and validated in the United States, is a popular measure of alcohol problems. This study examined measurement invariance of the RAPI across samples of U.S. and Swedish high school seniors. Latent mean differences in alcohol problems across countries and differences in associations between alcohol problems with alcohol use and protective behavioral strategies (PBS) were also examined. The RAPI was scalar invariant. Swedish students reported fewer problems than U.S. students (latent mean difference = -0.19, p =.047). In both samples, the RAPI was positively correlated with alcohol use frequency and quantity (ps <.001), and negatively correlated with PBS use (ps <.05). Overall, the RAPI demonstrated measurement invariance, and we found evidence for its validity across samples of U.S. and Swedish high school seniors.

Language: en

Keywords

alcohol; alcohol consequences; alcohol problems; high school drinking; measurement invariance; RAPI