The alcohol use disorders identification test (AUDIT): factor structure, test-retest reliability and longitudinal measurement invariance across a one-year interval in an Australian sample.

Background

The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) is a widely used screening tool for assessing problematic alcohol use. While strong cross-sectional psychometric support exists, little is known about its longitudinal performance, particularly within Australian populations and over extended intervals. Most prior studies have relied on short test - retest periods (2-6 weeks), simple correlations, and have not examined whether the AUDIT consistently measures the same constructs over time.

Objectives

This study addresses these gaps by using longitudinal confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the AUDIT's factorial structure, test - retest reliability, and measurement invariance over a 12-month period.Method: A sample of 276 Australian adults (mean age = 31.86 years; SD = 9.94; 71% male), all current alcohol consumers, completed the AUDIT at two time points (2022 and 2023). Participants reported regular alcohol use, with an average AUDIT score of 7.14 at T1 and 7.78 at T2; 38.9% exceeded the threshold for hazardous drinking.

Results

One-, two-, and three-factor models were compared, with the one-factor model showing the best fit (RMSEA = .078). The AUDIT demonstrated moderate test - retest reliability (r = .67) and partial longitudinal measurement invariance. Only a small number of factor loadings and intercepts were non-invariant. Full support was found for latent variance invariance, latent mean equivalence, and structural invariance.

Conclusions

These findings offer novel longitudinal evidence for the psychometric stability of the AUDIT over 12 months in an Australian sample, supporting its value for monitoring alcohol use and evaluating treatment outcomes.