Cross-cultural examination of negative alcohol-related consequences: Measurement invariance of the young adult alcohol consequences questionnaire in Spain, Argentina, and USA

Abstract

The present study examined measurement invariance of the 48-item, 8-factor, Young Adult Alcohol Consequences Questionnaire (YAACQ) across nationality in college students from the United States, Spain, and Argentina. We also compared latent mean differences and criterion-related validity (i.e., correlation with other alcohol-related outcomes) across countries. Last month drinkers (1,511) from the United States (n = 774, 70.5% female), Argentina (n = 439, 50.6% female), and Spain (n = 298, 72.1% female) completed an online survey measuring alcohol use, drinking motives, college alcohol beliefs, and negative alcohol-related consequences. Multigroup confirmatory factor analyses supported configural and scalar invariance of a 47-item, 8-factor YAACQ across countries. Overall, the correlation analysis supported criterion-related validity (i.e., strong bivariate correlations between the 8 subscales and alcohol consumption, drinking motives and college alcohol beliefs) across countries. Some nonsignificant bivariate correlations and differences in the magnitude of the correlations across countries are discussed. Our findings expand previous work, mostly focused on U.S. samples, by supporting the YAACQ as an adequate measure to assess alcohol-related consequences in youths across countries marked by unique cultural traditions, attitudes, and policies pertaining to alcohol.