The Alcohol Problems Questionnaire: reliability and validity.

The Alcohol Problems Questionnaire (APQ) was designed as a clinical instrument for measuring alcohol-related problems. It has been used to study the relationship between alcohol-related problems and dependence within the bi-axial model. The reliability of the APQ was, however, unknown. In the present study 101 subjects participated in a test-retest reliability study. Dependence and consumption scores were obtained along with socio-demographic information in order to study the construct validity of the APQ. The APQ was found to be highly reliable and the previous finding that dependence is a mediating factor in the relationship between consumption and problems was replicated. These findings add further weight to the view that alcohol-related problems represent a phenomenon which is conceptually, as well as statistically, distinct from dependence. Further, the APQ is reliable, simple to administer and is likely to be useful in the assessment and study of problem drinkers in the clinical and research settings.