Psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ)

Abstract

Aim: This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Brief Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (B-YAACQ).

Method: In this study, 1616 Chinese university students (male = 58.66%; M_age = 19.88) reporting past-year drinking experience voluntarily completed an anonymous questionnaire. Rasch analysis, reliability analysis, and linear modeling were performed to examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of B-YAACQ.

Results: Results of Rasch analysis and reliability analysis supported the assumption of uni-dimensionality, local independence, and internal consistency of the 24-item B-YAACQ in our Chinese sample. However, six items had marginal outfit statistics and/or potential gender bias; therefore, a model with 18 items was also tested after removing these items. The 18-item model showed excellent fit to the uni-dimensional model with no gender bias. However, the Pearson correlation between the 24-item and 18-item versions was r = 0.98, suggesting highly similar measurement. Both versions demonstrated concurrent validity through positive association with the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) subscales, even after controlling for the effects of age and gender.

Conclusion: This study is the first to validate a measurement tool for negative drinking consequences for university students in China. Despite some limitations, the original 24-item B-YAACQ was shown to have satisfactory psychometric properties when applied to Chinese university students. We recommend the shorter 18-item version without significant gender bias for testing gender differences.

Keywords: Chinese; Drinking consequence; Hazardous alcohol use; Measurement; University students; Validation.