Development of a drinking self-efficacy questionnaire

Self-efficacy has been postulated as a construct of central importance in the acquisition, maintenance, and treatment of addictive behavior. To date research has largely examined the role of outcome expectancies but literature on the relationship of self-efficacy and drinking is still unclear. This paper describes the development and psychometric properties of a Drinking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (DSEQ). In Study I, 251 students were used to test the factor structure of the DSEQ. Factor analysis of the DSEQ showed three clear factors accounting for 60% of the common variance. These factors can be summarized as self-efficacy in situations characterized by social pressure, opportunistic drinking, and emotional relief. Study II used 138 people from a general community sample and discriminant analyses showed that the DSEQ has good discriminant validity. The findings suggest that the DSEQ has potential for use in research examining the role of drinking self-efficacy in problem drinkers.This paper was partly supported by grants from the NH&MRC to Dr. Oei.