Psychometric properties of the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) in adolescents and young adults from Southern Mexico

Introduction: Alcohol abuse is a worldwide health problem because of its association with high rates of morbidity, mortality, and interpersonal conflicts. In Mexico, young people are the group most severely affected by high levels of alcohol intake. This study attempts to evaluate the psychometric characteristics of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) in the Mexican youth population, since validation studies do not currently exist. Materials and methods: An opinion sampling method was used based on the inclusion criteria for the study and the accessibility of the sample. Participants’ ages ranged from 14 to 30, and 44.2% (N = 854) were male and 55.8% (N = 1078) were female. Results: The psychometric guarantees of AUDIT have been confirmed, highlighting the value of Alpha Cronbach (.804) of the scale, and the validity of its internal structure through a confirmatory factor analysis, which showed the validity of the model of the three factors (Risky use, Dependence symptoms, and Harmful alcohol use). The results confirm a pattern of non-daily use, and concentrated, excess use on a single occasion. The existence of significant differences has also been confirmed in terms of the legal drinking age in some of the indicators used, and the risk of alcohol consumption increases with age. Conclusions: The appropriate psychometric properties of AUDIT have been confirmed in the Mexican youth population. It shows a public health issue that requires the design of prevention programs that impact risk factors and promote protective factors.