Temporal Stability and Predictive Validity of the Regan Attitudes Toward Non-Drinkers Scale

The Regan Attitudes Toward Non-Drinkers Scale (RANDS) is a relatively new alcohol-related measure. Findings suggest that higher scores on the RANDS (denoting stronger endorsement of negative beliefs about non-drinkers) are related to higher self-reported levels of alcohol consumption. Available evid...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Daniel Regan, Todd G. Morrison
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-04-01
Series:SAGE Open
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017698728
Description
Summary:The Regan Attitudes Toward Non-Drinkers Scale (RANDS) is a relatively new alcohol-related measure. Findings suggest that higher scores on the RANDS (denoting stronger endorsement of negative beliefs about non-drinkers) are related to higher self-reported levels of alcohol consumption. Available evidence also suggests that the measure is factorially unidimensional and possesses good scale score reliability (α coefficients > .80) and construct validity. However, the test–retest stability and predictive validity of the RANDS have not been investigated. The current study addressed this omission by distributing the scale to 120 Irish university students at two points in time (1 to 4 weeks apart). To examine the validity of the RANDS, other measures (e.g., alcohol consumption, motives to drink alcohol, and sensation-seeking), commonly employed in studies of drinking behavior, were used. Results indicated that the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for the total RANDS was substantial (.86), suggesting it is a stable measure of attitudes toward non-drinkers. Scores on the RANDS correlated significantly with self-reported alcohol consumption, binge-drinking, and motives to drink. Finally, regression analyses demonstrated that the RANDS, measured at Time 1, accounted for unique variance in risky drinking measured at Time 2.
ISSN:2158-2440