Reliability and validity of the Primary/Secondary Alcoholism Classification Questionnaire and the Hk/MBD Childhood Symptoms Checklist.

Primary vs. Secondary Alcoholism and claimed childhood symptoms of hyperkinesis/minimal brain dysfunction (Hk/MBD) have been shown to predict cognitive differences in alcoholics. The reliability and validity of the methods used to measure these variables were investigated in three separate studies. High test-retest reliability of the Primary/Secondary Classification Questionnaire and the Hk/MBD Childhood Symptoms Checklist was found in the first study (N = 45). In the second, the validity of the Hk/MBD Checklist was investigated by comparing childhood symptoms claimed by the alcoholics with those ascribed by relatives to them (N = 53). A significant positive correlation was found. Finally, a satisfactory percent agreement between the Primary/Secondary Classification Questionnaire and a clinical interview to elicit the same information was obtained in two samples (N = 38). These self-administered instruments, the Primary/Secondary Classification Questionnaire and the Hk/MBD Childhood Symptoms Checklist, should prove useful in future research on diagnosis and treatment of alcoholism.