Alcohol Relief Questionnaire (ARQ)

Abstract

The Alcohol Relief Questionnaire (ARQ), developed by Lac and Luk in 2023, is a sophisticated 18-item psychometric instrument designed to measure the perceived relief effects associated with alcohol consumption among adult users. The measure offers a crucial multidimensional conceptualization of relief, specifically addressing experiences related to the self-medication hypothesis of alcohol use.

The development process began with an initial pool of 26 items, which were refined through rigorous statistical procedures. An initial Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) established a preliminary 4-factor structure consisting of 22 items. This structure was later confirmed and finalized via Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), resulting in the final 18-item instrument. The ARQ has demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including robust internal consistency and comprehensive validity (convergent, discriminant, incremental, and criterion-related), positioning it as a valuable tool for alcohol research.

Keywords

Alcohol Relief Effects, Multidimensional Assessment, Psychological Relief, Interpersonal Relief, Sleep Relief, Physical Relief, Self-Medication, Alcohol Consumption, Incremental Validity, Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA).

Authors

Lac, Andrew, Luk, Jeremy W.

Purpose

The primary objective of the Alcohol Relief Questionnaire (ARQ) is to systematically quantify and evaluate the subjective relief effects that adult drinkers attribute to their consumption of alcohol. This assessment moves beyond traditional measures of positive reinforcement by focusing specifically on the mitigation of negative states.

The ARQ is intended to provide detailed insight into four distinct dimensions of relief sought through drinking: the reduction of internal distress (Psychological Relief), improved social comfort (Interpersonal Relief), enhanced sleep initiation or quality (Sleep Relief), and alleviation of physical tension (Physical Relief).

Construct

The core psychological construct measured by the ARQ is the multidimensional experience of relief derived from alcohol consumption, primarily aligning with the self-medication model. This model posits that individuals use alcohol primarily to cope with or alleviate negative emotional, physical, or social distress.

The ARQ conceptualizes this relief across four correlated, but distinct, factors, providing a nuanced perspective that can help researchers and clinicians differentiate between various motivational pathways leading to alcohol use and associated problems.

Validity

The Validity of the ARQ was established through multiple statistical approaches, confirming that the scale accurately measures the intended constructs and relates appropriately to external criteria.

• Convergent Validity: The subscales showed expected correlations with related constructs. Specifically, Physical Relief correlated most strongly with tension reduction expectancy, while Interpersonal Relief correlated strongly with sociability and liquid courage expectancies. Alcohol positive affect correlated significantly with both Psychological and Physical Relief.

• Discriminant Validity: The measure successfully differentiated itself from distinct constructs. For instance, cognitive and behavioral impairment expectancy and self-perception expectancy demonstrated no significant correlation with overall alcohol relief. Alcohol negative affect correlated only with the Sleep Relief subscale, highlighting the specificity of the measure.

• Criterion-Related Validity: The ARQ demonstrated relevance to actual drinking behaviors, as both drink frequency and drink quantity correlated significantly with all four subscales and the overall relief score.

• Incremental Validity: Crucially, the overall ARQ scale explained unique variance in alcohol use and related problems, demonstrating its ability to predict outcomes beyond what could be accounted for by established predictors like positive and negative alcohol expectancies and alcohol affect alone.

Reliability

The reliability of the ARQ was assessed primarily through internal consistency, utilizing Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. The results indicate excellent internal consistency across both the composite score and all four subscales, suggesting high homogeneity among the items within each factor.

• Psychological Relief: α = .93

• Interpersonal Relief: α = .96

• Sleep Relief: α = .89

• Physical Relief: α = .89

• Overall Relief: α = .89

These high coefficients confirm that the items measuring each dimension of alcohol relief are highly consistent and reliable for research purposes.

Factor Analysis

The development of the ARQ involved a rigorous two-step Factor Analysis process to establish the measure’s structural integrity.

• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA): The initial EFA of the item pool led to the extraction of a correlated four-factor model. These factors were identified as Psychological Relief, Interpersonal Relief, Sleep Relief, and Physical Relief. During this stage, four items were eliminated due to low factor loadings or significant cross-loadings, resulting in a 22-item version.

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA): A subsequent CFA study was conducted to validate the factor structure. The initial 22-item model showed acceptable fit indices (CFI = .94, TLI = .93). Following minor refinements, four additional items were removed. The final, parsimonious 18-item, four-factor model demonstrated superior fit to the data: χ² = 317.43, df = 129, CFI = .95, TLI = .95, RMSEA [90% CI] = .05 [.05, .06]. This confirmed the robust and distinct nature of the four relief dimensions.

Instrument

Test Type: Original Instrument/Questionnaire

Format: The ARQ comprises 18 items utilizing a 7-point Likert-type scale. Response options range from 1 (definitely false) to 7 (definitely true). The full scale is structured as: 1 (definitely false), 2 (mostly false), 3 (somewhat false), 4 (neither true nor false), 5 (somewhat true), 6 (mostly true), and 7 (definitely true).

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years and older), encompassing Young Adulthood (18-29 years), Thirties (30-39 years), Middle Age (40-64 years), and Aged (65 years and older).

Population Details: The measure was developed and validated using a sample of adult alcohol users residing in the United States.

Test Methodology: The development and validation relied upon a comprehensive psychometric methodology including Test Validity (Convergent, Criterion, Discriminant), Test Reliability (Internal Consistency), and Factor Analysis (Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Exploratory Factor Analysis).

Authors Details

Author ORCID Identifier: Andrew Lac: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8035-3628

Affiliation Email addresses:

• Andrew Lac: University of Colorado—Colorado Springs, Department of Psychology

• Jeremy W. Luk: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism

• Email (Lac): [email protected]

Correspondence Address: Andrew Lac: University of Colorado—Colorado Springs, Department of Psychology, 1420 Austin Bluffs Parkway, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, 80918, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Alcohol Relief Questionnaire may be used for Research and Teaching purposes without restriction.

Permissions: May be used for Research/Teaching purposes.

Fee: No fee is required for its use.

Test Year: 2023

References

Lac, A., & Luk, J. W. (2023). The Alcohol Relief Questionnaire: Development and validation of a multidimensional scale to measure the psychological, interpersonal, sleep, and physical relief effects of drinking. Psychological Assessment, 35(6), 533–545. doi:10.1037/pas0001232

Items of the Alcohol Relief Questionnaire (ARQ)

The Alcohol Relief Questionnaire (ARQ) consists of 18 items designed to capture four specific factors related to alcohol relief:

• Psychological Relief: Items pertaining to internal emotional and mental states.

• Interpersonal Relief: Items related to social interactions and relationships.

• Sleep Relief: Items concerning the impact of alcohol on sleep.

• Physical Relief: Items addressing the physical sensations and bodily comfort experienced from alcohol.

The Alcohol Relief Questionnaire (Lac & Luk, 2023)

Instructions: Consider the occasions you have consumed alcohol. Indicate the extent that each statement is true or false for you.

Statement	Definitely false (1)	Mostly false (2)	Somewhat false (3)	Neither true nor false (4)	Somewhat true (5)	Mostly true (6)	Definitely true (7)
1. My sadness is lifted when I consume alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
2. I’m less depressed when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
3. I feel less lonely when I consume alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
4. Alcohol helps to reduce my negative emotions	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
5. Alcohol helps to reduce my negative thoughts	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
6. Alcohol helps to soothe my anger	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
7. Drinking alcohol makes it easier for me to approach someone	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8. I’m more comfortable talking to strangers when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
9. Alcohol makes it more relaxing to have a conversation	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
10. Interacting with others is easier when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
11. I’m less anxious in social situations when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
12. Alcohol helps make me relax in social situations	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
13. Alcohol helps me to sleep at night	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
14. Alcohol is like a sleeping pill for me	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
15. The quality of my sleep is better when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
16. I become physically relaxed when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
17. My body is less tense when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
18. I’m not as physically uptight when I drink alcohol	1	2	3	4	5	6	7

Scoring of The Alcohol Relief Questionnaire

• Overall Scale Score: Mean of All 18 Items

• Four Subscale Scores:

  • Psychological Relief Subscale: Mean of Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

  • Interpersonal Relief Subscale: Mean of Items 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

  • Sleep Relief Subscale: Mean of Items 13, 14, 15

  • Physical Relief Subscale: Mean of Items 16, 17, 18