AUI (Alcohol Use Inventory): Pearson, alcohol abuse, alcoholism, drinking

AUI
(Alcohol Use Inventory)

John Horn, PhD, Kenneth W. Wanberg, PhD, and F. Mark Foster, MS

The Alcohol Use Inventory (AUI) provides a basis for describing different ways in which individuals use alcohol, the benefits they derive from such use, the negative consequences associated with its use, and the degree of concern individuals express about the use of alcohol and its consequences.

How to Use This Test

The AUI test can be used by psychologists, social workers, chemical dependency counselors, and physicians to help:

Differentiate drinking styles and develop individual treatment plans

Provide an objective assessment of alcohol-related problems

Identify treatment-relevant classification of alcohol abusers based on DSM-IV® classifications

Key Features

The AUI test's multidimensional approach can help the substance-abuse professional tailor a treatment plan to a clients specific problems.

The self-report format of the AUI test enables substance-abuse professionals to compare an individual's perceptions about his or her use of alcohol with the interviewer's perceptions and those of family members and others.

Quick Facts

Qualification Level	B
Administer To	Individuals 16 years and older
Reading Level	6th grade
Completion Time	35–60 minutes (228 items)
Formats	Paper-and-pencil or computer administration
Report Options	Profile Report, Interpretive Report
Scoring Options	Q™ Local Software Mail-in Scoring Service Hand Scoring Optical Scan Scoring
Scales	17 primary scales 6 second-order factor skills 1 general alcohol involvement scale
Norm Groups	1,200 individuals who had been admitted to a public, inpatient alcohol treatment program

About the Authors

John Horn, PhD, is a research psychologist who is presently a professor of psychology and the head of Adult Development and Aging at the University of Southern California. His research and extensive publications reflect two distinct areas of interest: the measurement of factors of alcohol use and abuse, and the development of human cognitive capabilities. Much of his current research attempts to identify how individuals' lifestyles are related to changes in their cognitive capabilities.

Kenneth Wanberg, ThD, PhD, is a licensed psychologist. He is currently in private practice and works for Youth Services in the state of Colorado. He has more than 30 years of experience in the field of alcoholism and chemical dependency treatment and research. Dr. Wanberg is widely published in the field of alcoholism and has presented numerous workshops and seminars on the AUI and related substance abuse topics. Mark Foster attended graduate school at the University of Denver. His interests there focused on multivariate experimental psychology with an emphasis on psychometrics, correlational and multivariate design, and methodology as applied to a wide range of social and personality psychology. This included studies of individuals with problems associated with alcohol or drug abuse.

Primary Scales

Benefits
SOCIALIM - Drink to improve sociability
MENTALIM - Drink to improve mental functioning
MANGMOOD - Drinking helps to manage moods
MARICOPE - Drinking follows marital problems

Styles
GREGARUS - Gregarious drinking versus solo
COMPULSV - Compulsive drinking
SUSTAIND - Sustained versus periodic drinking

Consequences
LCONTROL - Loss of control over behavior when drinking
ROLEMALA - Social role maladaption
DELIRIUM - Psychoperceptual withdrawal
HANGOVER - Psychophysical withdrawal
MARIPROB - Drinking causes marital problems

Concerns and Acknowledgments
QUANTITY - Quantity of daily use when drinking
GUILTWOR - Guilt and worry associated with drinking
HELPBEFR - Prior attempts to deal with drinking
RECEPTIV - Readiness for help
AWARENES - Awareness of drinking problem

Second-Order Factor Scales

ENHANCED - Drinking to enhance functioning

OBSESSED - Obsessive, sustained drinking

DISRUPT1 - Uncontrolled life disruption due to drinking: directly stated

DISRUPT2 - Uncontrolled life disruption due to drinking: indirectly stated

ANXCONCN - Anxiety related to drinking

RECPAWAR - Acknowledgment and awareness of use problem

General Alcohol Involvement

ALCINVOL - Broad involvement with alcohol

Norm Groups

1,200 individuals who had been admitted to a public, inpatient alcohol treatment program

Report Options

Profile Report (Product Number 51426)

Provides a graph of the respondent's scores with a summary of data on the client's use of alcohol and drugs.

View a sample Profile Report.

Interpretive Report (Product Number 51425)

An easy-to-read profile of scores for the 24 scales is accompanied by a narrative interpretation of scores, treatment recommendations and suggestions for further evaluation.

View a sample Inpatient Interpretive Report.
View a sample Outpatient Interpretive Report.

Scoring Options

Q™ Local Software - Enables you to score assessments, report results, and store and export data on your computer.

Mail-in Scoring Service - Specially designed answer sheets are mailed to us for processing within 24–48 hours of receipt and returned via regular mail.

Hand Scoring - Administer assessments on answer sheets and score them quickly yourself with an answer key.

Optical Scan Scoring - Allows you to score the assessments at your site.

Common Questions and Answers

What does an asterisk next to a score on the report indicate?
It indicates that one or more items on the scale were omitted or had multiple responses. The score is highlighted because the decile rank may be an underestimate.

Is the AUI appropriate with a DUI population?
Because the purpose of the AUI is to assess the drinking styles of problem drinkers, DUI (Driving Under the Influence) subjects might not fall into this category. Individuals convicted of DUI tend to have a lower profile and their results should be interpreted with caution.

How does the AUI compare with the MAC scale on the MMPI®-2; instrument?
These two measures were constructed to assess different things. The AUI measures drinking styles of known drinkers, whereas the MAC scale measures addiction potential.

Is the Alcohol Dependent Scale found in one of the scales on the AUI?
Yes, Disrupt 1 (D1). Disrupt 1 measures psychophysical aspects as well as disruptions in the person's work, family, and community relations.

Does the AUI provide information on drug use?
The AUI deals primarily with alcohol use. However, the AUI does give some indication of the subject's reported use and perceptions of the following drugs: caffeine, nicotine, marijuana/hashish, tranquilizers, barbiturates, amphetamines, cocaine, opiates, and hallucinogens.

Can the AUI be used for repeated measurement purposes?
The AUI is not appropriate for pre- and post-treatment administration because of the historical nature of many of the assessment's questions. However, the AUI can be used in an outcomes measurement program to establish a baseline of information.