Factor analysis of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire in a middle-aged community sample.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Alcohol Expectancy Questionnaire (AEQ) in a large community sample. METHOD: This study is a cross-sectional survey design that utilized face-to-face interviews. Participants were recruited through their participation in the St. Louis Epidemiological Catchment Area study. Subjects (N = 753) were re-interviewed 11 years after their initial ECA interview, with the goal of detection of new cases of alcoholism. Of the 733 who completed the AEQ, 62% were women and 52% were married. Ages ranged from 29 to 62, with an avenge (SD) age of 43 (8.18). The racial breakdown of the sample was diverse, with 57% white, 38% black and 5% of another ethnicity. RESULTS: The AEQ is comprised of six factors that explain 47% of the variance in the AEQ. Five of the factors have strong internal consistency, ranging from 0.78 to 0.93. The sixth factor has an internal consistency of 0.51. CONCLUSIONS: Using a large community sample, the results reported herein replicate those of the original researchers.