Scale for the measurement of attitudes towards alcohol

Aims: The aim was to analyse the characteristics of, and validate, a new instrument in Italian, 'Scale for the measurement of attitudes towards alcohol'. The instrument is a means for assessing young people's risk profile regarding the use of alcohol and identifying the factors that contribute to determining this attitude. Methods: The test was initially composed of 60 items divided into three domains and administered to a sample of 41 subjects. The results revealed the necessity of adapting the test's conceptual structure: consequently, the items were reduced to 35, divided into five domains. This second version was administered to a sample of 467 students attending upper secondary schools and vocational training schools in the municipality of Siena. Following this second experiment, a third version was realized, which comprised 25 items divided into the same five domains; it was administered to 100 subjects, with an equal number of males and females and an age range of 14-30 years. Analysis of the data obtained resulted in a final structure formed of 15 items in three domains. Results: The final structure of the test has good psychometric properties in terms of both reliability and validity. Conclusions: The 'Scale for the measurement of attitudes towards alcohol' can be seen as an instrument for evaluating the factors capable of conditioning the behaviour of people between 18 and 26 years of age towards alcoholic substances. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Medical Council on Alcohol. All rights reserved.