Utility of the Athlete Drinking Scale for assessing drinking motives among high school athletes. (September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Herring, Tracy E.; Zamboanga, Byron L.; Olthuis, Janine V.; Pesigan, Ivan Jacob Agaloos; Martin, Jessica L.; McAfee, Nicholas W.; Martens, Matthew P.
• Is Part Of: Addictive behaviors. Volume 60(2016)
• Page Start: 18
• Page End: 23
• Publication Date: 2016-09
• Subjects: Alcohol -- Athletes -- High school -- Drinking motives; Substance abuse -- Periodicals; Alcoholism -- Periodicals; Drug addiction -- Periodicals; Nicotine addiction -- Periodicals; Smoking -- Periodicals; Gambling -- Psychological aspects -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 362.29
• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.03.026
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0306-4603

Abstract

Abstract: Research suggests that high school athletes are at greater risk for heavy alcohol use and alcohol-related problems than their non-athlete peers. Drinking motives unique to the athletic experience may contribute to elevated use. The Athlete Drinking Scale (ADS) was designed to assess sport-related motives for alcohol use, but has not yet been validated among high school athletes. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the ADS among a sample of high school athletes. Participants were 216 high school student-athlete drinkers who completed anonymous self-report surveys. A confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a revised three-factor solution with a satisfactory overall model fit. Path analyses indicated that the Positive Reinforcement motives subscale was the only ADS subscale that was significantly associated with alcohol use and alcohol-related problems when controlling for the effects of the other factors (i.e., age and gender) in this population. The ADS may be a valuable assessment tool for researchers and clinicians involved in alcohol prevention efforts for high school athletes. Highlights: We examined the psychometric properties of the Athlete Drinking Scale (ADS). Results indicated that a revised three-factor solution best represented the data. Positive Reinforcement subscale was significantly associated with use and problems. The ADS may be a helpful clinical tool for high school athletes who use alcohol.